The nuclear issue

The nuclear issue

Following an unfortunately familiar pattern in this country,
it now seems that, quietly but surely, the government's proposed
nuclear power plant project -- the first in Indonesia -- is set
to proceed. Although a final decision on whether or not nuclear
power should be used to meet Indonesia's growing need for energy
is expected to come only later this year, the signals so far
point towards a determination to go on with the project, despite
the objections from the public, particularly from
environmentalists and religious leaders.

The director general of the National Atomic Energy (BATAN),
Djali Ahimsa, in a statement published not long ago, disclosed
that the government has already commissioned two foreign
consultancy companies, Sargent & Lundy of the United States, and
Newjec of Japan, to review the results of earlier studies.
According to the director general those earlier studies had found
the proposed project both technologically and commercially
feasible.

According to the plan, the first nuclear plant, scheduled to
start operation in 2003, is to be built at Ujungwatu, at the foot
of the dormant volcano Muria in northern Central Java province.
It will have a capacity of 800 megawatts of electricity.
According to Djali Ahimsa, Indonesia will need between seven and
12 nuclear reactors to help provide the 27,000 megawatts of
electric energy needed by homes and industries in Java and Bali
in the foreseeable future.

From the beginning it has looked to many observers as if the
government is resolved to go nuclear to meet this country's
constantly expanding need for electricity. Both President
Soeharto and Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie
have in the past year stated that nuclear energy would be
considered by the government only as a "last option". President
Soeharto, in a statement in May last year, however, warned
Indonesians that the building of nuclear-powered power plants
might become unavoidable in the future, because other energy
resources might no longer be sufficient.

"As of now we have to get ready to start using nuclear power
to meet our energy needs in the future," Soeharto said.

Responding to the public furore, Djali Ahimsa said last year
that the government would conduct a public debate on the issue.
But, ironically, at least three public debates planned by the
Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) had to be canceled
last year because the Ministry of Home Affairs refused to issue
the recommendation for the meetings to be held. The obvious
question is: Why did the authorities ban the debates? The
impression of inconsistency is hard to avoid. Were the official
statements merely meant to calm public emotions?

It would be well for everybody to remember that this is a
sensitive issue which concerns broad segments of our society. We
believe that greater transparency -- and a more democratic
approach -- on the part of the government in handling the matter
will greatly help calm down the public sentiments. Surely this
would be in all of our best interest, particularly now that the
general elections are approaching.