Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo, Jakarta – A government plan to begin the construction of a nuclear power plant by 2016 has been labeled environmentally risky and premature, with environmental groups highlighting that feasibility studies on the dangers posed by the project have yet to be conducted.
"The risk of failure of a nuclear power plant in Indonesia is high. Many energy-related regulations, such as the placement of gas stations, have not been followed closely," Nyoman Iswarayoga, program manager for environmental group Pelangi Indonesia Foundation, said Wednesday at a public discussion held to commemorate the foundation's 15th anniversary.
"Many gas stations are built in close proximity to one another. There are also gas stations built next to supermarkets, which is already a violation."
Although Indonesia is more or less set to make an eventual move toward nuclear energy, the 2017 deadline set by the government for producing 2,000 megawatts (Mw) of nuclear-wrought energy will likely be pushed back, Iswarayoga said.
"We don't think that other energy resources, such as geothermal and micro-hydro, have been optimized in their development and use," he said, adding that the costs involved in building a nuclear plant are enormous.
In France, 80 percent of energy is derived from nuclear plants because the country lacks other natural energy resources. Indonesia, on the other hand, has many options up its sleeve.
Unlike other energy sources, nuclear-wrought electricity is relatively affordable for the public and nuclear plants are able to produce immense amounts of it with little manpower.
Fabby Tumiwa, chairperson for the Institute for Essential Services Reform, said a breakdown in the country's nuclear waste management could be potentially devastating as radioactive waste lingers for upward of 100,000 years.
"Humans can easily get cancer from radioactive exposure. Many people are not yet fully informed about the danger of a plant failure," he said, adding that Indonesia still lacked the experience to sufficiently manage large-scale energy waste.
The National Atomic Energy Agency (Batan) conducted an assessment of different energy sources for electricity generation in Indonesia in 2002. It concluded that projected technological and economic growth in Indonesia could warrant the construction of a nuclear plant by 2016.
However, Fabby insists Batan's research was insufficient. He suggested that state-owned electricity company PT PLN undertake a comprehensive inquiry into ways to maximize available energy sources for the medium- and long-term before Indonesia develops a nuclear plant.
"The government should incorporate all important aspects, such as a roadmap for the electricity market structure, an energy mix and sources, cost and pricing mechanisms, potential investors, technology and economic and social factors," he said. "The spread of electricity consumption itself is still mainly concentrated in Java and Bali."
Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro has said that the contribution of nuclear energy to the local energy mix would amount to 4,000 Mw by 2025. Indonesia possesses sufficient radioactive minerals for self-supply.