Nuclear technology being used in Madura to desalinate seawater

ID Nugroho, Surabaya

Controversy over the government's plans to build a nuclear power plant (PLTN) in East Java's Madura in 2019 continue. But nuclear technology has in fact been utilized on the island since 2001.

"Actually since 2001, nuclear technology has been used to detect fresh groundwater in Bangkalan, Madura," said National Nuclear Power Agency (BATAN) head Soedyartomo Soentono, also known as Tomi.

The use of nuclear technology has resulted in the extraction of around 2.5 liters per second or 9,000 liters per hour of fresh water, he added.

Therefore, he said, there should be no reason for people to oppose the use of a nuclear reactor on the "salt" island.

"There are three places in Indonesia that use nuclear power -- Bandung (since 1964), Yogyakarta (since 1979) and Serpong (since 1997) and up till now there has been no problem. Why are there objections in Madura?" Tomi said on Friday.

Debate resurfaced over the plans to construct a nuclear power plant in Madura on Oct. 10, 2001, after Indonesia, Korea and 11 other countries forged a technical agreement under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

They agreed to use nuclear technology to desalinate seawater or the conversion of seawater into fresh water, salt and electricity in Madura.

Besides Indonesia, Argentina, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Morocco, Pakistan, the Russian Federation and Tunisia would also use the technology for desalination using a 330 Megawatt (MW) thermal reactor.

The process has been deemed a success in Aktau, Kazakhstan. A sodium-cooled nuclear power plant (BN-350) there could yield 80,000 tons of fresh water per day for industrial and household use.

Fresh water and electricity are of critical importance in Madura. Both are supplied from Java island. But lately, the condition is worsening, particularly as fresh water sources on Java have depleted.

Salt water desalination is an obvious alternative as done at the Muara Karang steam power generating plant (PLTU). There, sea water is converted into fresh water and later transformed into steam to generate power.

The electricity load on Madura at the moment is 91 MW. The load would increase when the Surabaya-Madura bridge is completed in 2007.

In the early stage, desalination could be conducted using gas fuel available around Madura. But in the long run, gas would need to be replaced with coal or nuclear fuel.

"After all, if eventually a nuclear reactor is built, safety measures would be the main consideration," said Tomi.

Indonesia, he said, was one of three countries that had established nuclear safety standards. If a nuclear power plant was to be built, safety systems applied would be similar to those used in nuclear reactors in Europe which have danger zones of only 800 meters in radius.

"It means, if an accident happened, the area affected would be only 800 meters in radius from the reactor," he said.

Such explanations, however, have not satisfied the people of Madura, who consider the construction of a nuclear reactor very dangerous. They have rejected the plans.

With support from the leading environment watchdog Walhi, local residents conducted various studies on the dangers of nuclear reactors. "We don't want a nuclear tragedy to happen in Madura," East Java's Walhi director Sardiyoko told The Jakarta Post.

Meanwhile, Minister of Research and Technology Hatta Rajasa said in Surabaya last week that the decision to construct a PLTN in Madura was not final. "If in 2019 there are no other alternatives, only then a PLTN would be built," he said.

The PLTN, he added, would be the last option.

There are other sustainable alternatives to generate electricity and the need for a nuclear plant was still not urgent, according to the minister.

Hatta said at least three matters should be considered before building a nuclear power plant. First the economic factor -- will it benefit people? Second is the environmental factor -- if it is not a risk to the environment, the plan could go ahead.

"The last is the reaction of the public. If locals don't want a nuclear reactor to be built, the project should be canceled," he said.

Nuclear tragedies:

April 26, 1986
Reactor 4 at a nuclear plant in Ukraine exploded. More than 200 people were contaminated and 32 people died three months later. Hundreds of thousands of people were forced to flee.

April 1993
An explosion occurred in a nuclear reprocessing plant in Tomsk-7, West Siberia. Radioactive gas spread everywhere in the vicinity, but the number of casualties was not clear.

September 1999
The Japanese Science and Technology Agency (STA) reported an uncontrollable chain reaction at the uranium installation in Tokaimura, Japan. One victim died and 39 others were exposed to radiation.