Nuclear power ‘not feasible’ for RI: Expert

Imung Yuniardi, The Jakarta Post, SEMARANG | Thu, 12/23/2010

Developing nuclear power in Indonesia is not feasible due to the huge initial investment required and the high price of uranium, a government energy expert says.

There is no reason for the Indonesian government to develop nuclear power plants (PLTN) given the lower costs of renewable energy power generators, according to Rinaldy Dalimi of the National Energy Council.

“This is no longer an issue of safety but more about investment calculations and a consideration of the fact that Indonesia will have to import uranium should it develop a PLTN,” Rinaldy said at a seminar on new and renewable energy in Semarang, Central Java, on Tuesday.

According to Rinaldy, who is also a professor at the University of Indonesia, the nation’s uranium reserves were relatively small and could only power a single 3,000-megawatt nuclear reactor for 11 years.

Plans to establish a nuclear power, first mooted during Soeharto’s era, have drawn criticism from environmental organizations.

During a hearing in May, legislators urged the government to be serious in realizing its plan to build a nuclear power plant in Jepara, Central Java.

Rinaldy said a nuclear power plant would require US$4,000 to produce a single kilowatt of electricity while a steam-powered generator would require $800 to produce the same amount.

“The price of the energy that [nuclear power plants] produce therefore will surely be much higher when compared to electricity produced by a PLTU or PLTG [gas-powered generator],” he said.

Pressure to develop nuclear power in Indonesia might have come from countries with nuclear technology such as Japan and Russia, he said, adding that only 15 percent of countries worldwide had nuclear power plants.

“They have approached Indonesia over consideration that the government’s policies still support the development of PLTNs.”

The main objective of establishing the National Atom Agency (BATAN) and other nuclear-related institutions over the last 56 years ago was not to produce electricity but to master nuclear technology, according to Rinaldy.

The government so far has heard only one side of the case for nuclear power development, Rinaldy said.

Rinaldy said that BATAN should organize a national forum where differing parties could meet and talk further about nuclear power development in Indonesia based on the latest developments in energy technology.

He said developed countries had been developing cheap sources of renewable energy such as solar cell technology.

“My suggestion is the government initiate the use of renewable energy. By 2050 at least 75 percent of energy used in Indonesia should be renewable.”

Electricity power pundit Nengah Sudja agreed, suggesting that BATAN should not promote nuclear power plants but instead investigate the use of nuclear energy in the areas of health and medicine, industry and research, food and agriculture.

Responsibility for electricity production should rest with state electricity company PT PLN or private companies, Nengah said.

Nengah said the government had not given sufficient support to research institutions such as BATAN, the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) to develop cheap sources of renewable energy.