Indonesia currently has three
nuclear reactors, all within Java
Jakarta. A prominent Russian representative has
welcomed the opportunity to develop the peaceful use of nuclear power in
Indonesia after a number of Russian companies signed on to a flagship project
which is hoped to be the future of Indonesia's nuclear program.
Mikhail Galuzin, Ambassador of the Russian
Federation to Indonesia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean),
said the nuclear powerhouse nation “hopes for a closer cooperation in the area
of peaceful use of nuclear energy.”
In June this year, Indonesia’s National
Nuclear Energy Agency (Batan) signed a deal with Rosatom — Russia’s State
Nuclear Energy Corporation — at the Atomexpo international conference
and exhibition in Moscow to develop nuclear energy.
Batan now operates three research nuclear
reactors, Serpong in Banten, Bandung in West Java and a third location at
Yogyakarta in Central Java.
Under the deal, both parties will
cooperate on both the scientific and development aspects as well as promote the
use of nuclear energy in Indonesia while increasing community awareness about
modern nuclear energy technologies.
In April, Rosatom announced a consortium
of Russian and Indonesian companies had won a contract for a the preliminary
design of a multi-purpose, high temperature, gas-cooled nuclear reactor which
is expected to be the flagship for Indonesia's future nuclear program.
“We hope that if from the Indonesian side
make a decision to build its first ever nuclear power plant, the Russian
company Rusatom can be useful for the interest of Indonesia,” Galuzin said.
“We in Russia have the most advanced
technology, services, experience in the world ... Russia provides the full
cycle service cooperation,” he said, adding the Russia will also take care of
the nuclear waste.
Nuclear power remains a daunting prospect
to many Indonesians. Plans for developing a nuclear power plant in 2013 near
Jepara, Central Java, were shelved after strong local resident resistance.
However, with ever increasing energy
demands, alternatives to fossil fuels — such as nuclear — are becoming
an attractive alternative for the future.
Director general of renewable energy at
the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, Rida Mulyana, was reported as saying
in April that the government plans to break ground on a nuclear power plant in
2024 or 2025.
Southeast Asia’s biggest economy has a
significant reserve of plutonium in Bangka Belitung island and Uranium in
Kalimantan island.
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