Nuclear Power Not Needed in Indonesia: PLN

Jakarta Globe, Ririn Radiawati Kusuma, March 23, 2011

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State Electricity Company (PLN) says it does not need nuclear power plants — yet.

The comments follow a continued effort by the National Nuclear Energy Agency (Batan) to push for the use of nuclear energy in Indonesia despite an international backlash due to the ongoing nuclear disaster in Japan.

“Commercially, Indonesia does not need nuclear power plants yet,” PLN president director Dahlan Iskan told the Jakarta Globe on Wednesday.

He said producing nuclear energy was more expensive than producing electricity from coal and gas.

He said as well as coal and gas, which Indonesia had in abundance, other options included renewable energies, such as hydro and geothermal.

He did, however, say that it would be good for Indonesia to begin preparations for the possibility of using nuclear energy.

Batan is now focusing on the island of Batam as a proposed site for a nuclear power plant. Batam lies uncomfortably close to the major fault line that produced the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

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RI, OZ ink A$14.5m deal to improve transport security

Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 12/15/2010

Indonesia secured on Wednesday AUS$14.5 million from Australia to improve its transportation safety and security standards.

The signing of the Memorandum of Agreement pledging the money was attended by Indonesia's Transportation Minister Fredy Numberi and Australia's Infrastructure and Transport Minister Anthony Albanese in Jakarta.

"Australia will provide AUS$14.5 million for the next four years, starting in July 2010," Fredy Numberi said, adding that the MoU tool the form of an arrangement between the two countries called the Indonesia Transport Safety Assistance Package.

Australia granted AUS$24 million in 2007 for a similar program, which helped finance 700 Indonesians to join a training program on aviation safety.

Albanese said the new fund would finance training programs to produce transport safety inspectors and accident inspectors, as well as joint search and rescue drills.

WHO assistance to create healthy, pleasant traditional markets

Antara News, Thursday, September 23, 2010 00:10 WIB

Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta (ANTARA News) - The World Health Organization (WHO) has provided 2,400 US dollars to support a program to improve the sanitary health infrastructure of the Argosari traditional market in Wonosari, Gunung Kidul district.

A Health Ministry official, Wilfred M Purba, said here Wednesday the financial assistance was given under a cooperation agreement between the ministry and WHO.

"The program has a non-physical aspect , namely to change the general public`s perception of traditional markets as disorderly, untidy, dirty establishments so that they would be able to compete with modern markets which were already beginning to operate in Gunung Kidul district." he said.

He said the physical assistance in the form of infrastructure was given based on the traditional market`s needs determined by market`s stakeholders and the Gunung Kidul district government.

According to Wilfred, the best way to create a healthy traditional market was changing the market stakeholders behavior, namely the behavior of the people selling their goods in the market, the market visitors, the market traders` association and the market management.

He said altering the stakeholders` behavior was important to change the traditional market`s image in addition to the provision of supporting facilities needed to keep the market healthy, clean, neat and pleasant to see.

"The direction of the traditional market can be used for buying and selling transactions and tourism market so that visitors besides buying what they need can also engage in recreation," he said.

He said the Argosari traditional market as one of tens of traditional markets in Indonesia which turned into model traditional markets.

A WHO Indonesia officer, Tri Prasetyo, said the aim of the programs was also to anticipate the spread of avian influenza.

"The interest of market users will possible decrease if directly talking about the anticipation of avian influenza so that we have delivered to the people about a healthy market as general," he said.

He said that the traditional market program had been implemented since July 2009 and it would end on 2011. "Now we are coming to the phase of training the market management." he said.

BP Indonesia says no change to Indonesian strategy

Reuters, Tue Jul 27, 2010 11:57pm EDT

July 28 (Reuters) - BP Indonesia, a unit of BP plc (BP.L) (BP.N), on Wednesday said there was no change to its strategy or plans in Southeast Asia's biggest economy and that it wants to expand and find new opportunities in Indonesia.

The statement follows BP's announcement on Tuesday that it plans to sell $30 billion in assets over the next 18 months to help cover its liabilities resulting from the Gulf oil spill.

"In Indonesia, there is no change to our strategy and plans. Indonesia is an important area for BP," BP Indonesia president, William Lin, said in an email to Reuters.

"We will continue to manage our existing operations in a safe and efficient manner, as well as continuously look to grow these assets and access new opportunities through further development, exploration and renewal," he said.

BP has a 37.16 percent stake in Indonesia's Tangguh liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Papua, in the easternmost part of the sprawling archipelago, which has capacity to produce 7.6 million tonnes per year (tpy) through two trains.

The Tangguh project cost about $5 billion. Other partners in the project include China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) (0883.HK).

Tangguh has several foreign supply contracts, including a 2.6 million tpy contract with CNOOC, while U.S. firm Sempra Energy (SRE.N) has a 20-year contract to lift 3.6 million tpy, and there are also supply contracts withSouth Korean firms K-Power and POSCO (005490.KS).

BP also has a stake in Sanga Sanga gas field in East Kalimantan, Borneo island, and has also participated in a coalbed methane (CBM) project in the same area in East Kalimantan.

(Reporting by Muklis Ali; Editing by Sara Webb)

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