Work on nuclear plant to begin

Work on nuclear plant to begin

Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post, Semarang

Work on the much-disputed Muria nuclear power plant (PLTN) in
Jepara regency, Central Java, will start soon, a senior
government official said in Semarang on Monday.

Arnold Y. Soetrisnanto, head of the Nuclear Energy
Development Center of the National Nuclear Power Agency (Batan),
said that the agency would commence a feasibility study into the
project sometime this year.

"The power plant will consist of six generator units, each
capable of generating 1,000 megawatts (MW)," he said.

He explained that as projected, the scheme would cost US$12
billion and, according to the schedule, would be completed in
2016.

Building construction on the project would take around six to
seven years.

"We are cooperating with people affected by the construction
of the nuclear power plant.

"We hope that they will agree with the project," he said.

According to a preliminary study, people living near the site
of the project agreed with it, but those living further away were
against the idea.

"I don't know the details as we are only dealing with the
technology field," he said.

The areas that have been surveyed in Jepara are Ujung Watu,
Ujung Lemah Abang, Ujung Grenggongan and Balong.

In the meantime, the head of the Social and Cultural Studies
Center of Diponegoro University, Semarang, Mujahirin Thohir, who
obtained first-hand information from the public said: "We
arranged a series of group discussions in which there were three
categories of people: the first said they were familiar with the
purposes and safety precautions for nuclear technology, the
second was uncertain and the third, mostly from non-governmental
organizations, rejected the idea."

The planned construction of the power plant was once strongly
protested in 1997 to 1998 during the New Order regime, and was
never heard of during the Abdurrahman Wahid government.

According to Arnold, the government would involve private
parties in the funding of the project, including Korea Hydro &
Nuclear Power Company.

The realization of Muria PLTN is hoped to increase electricity
generation capacity.