A Number of Districts Want to Have Nuclear Power Plant

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- A number of districts in the country want to build a nuclear power plant (PLTN) to cope with crisis in power supply in their respective areas, an official said.

"Mr Basuri Tjahaja Purnama, regent of Belitung Timur proposed to me to build a mini PLTN in his area," head of the National Nuclear Energy Agency (Batan) Djarot Sulistio Wisnubroto said here on Friday (21/11).

Basuri, who is a younger brother of Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, wanted to build a small capacity PLTN to end crisis in power supply in his district, Djarot said.

Not only Belitung Timur, Kalimantan and Batam also wanted to have their own PLTN, he said, adding but the decision lies with the energy and mineral resource ministry, he said.

"BATAN is ready if asked to build PLTN. It is up to the government," he said.

Earlier Governor of Bangka Belitung Rustam Efendi said he agreed to built PLTN in his province.

There has been plan to build the country's first nuclear power plant in Bangka Belitung but until now there has been no sign that the new government would go ahead with the plan.

A study by PT Surveyor Indonesia showed that Bangka Barat and Belitung Selatan meet the criteria for the location of PLTN.

PT Surveyor Indonesia carried out the study in cooperation with AF Consult (Switzerland) in Teluk Menggiris-Pantai Tanah Merah, the sub-district of Muntok, regency of Bangka Barat and in Tanjung Barani, sub-district of Simpang Rimba, regency of Bangka Selatan.

Djarot said it takes at least five years to build a small capacity PLTN with an investment of around Rp1.6 trillion.

Basuri said he would soon send a letter to President Joko Widodo to approve plan to build a small capacity PLTN in the regency of Belitung Timur as a prototype for commercial PLTN project.

He said Belitung has never had problem with earthquake or volcanic eruption.

He said he hopes to attract investors to Belitung "but investor would never come if you have no energy."

He said he has already started socialization of the plan to build a 100 megawatt PLTN in his district.

"So far there has been no resistance," he said.

Source : Republika