Nuclear technology being used in Madura to desalinate seawater
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.