Jakarta – Opposition continues to mount over the government's plan to build a nuclear power plant near Mount Muria in the northern part of Central Java.

The government expects to hold a tender for the project next year, before construction commences in 2010. The 4,000 megawatt plant is expected to supply two percent of the country's total energy demand by 2017.

People living around Mount Muria have strongly rejected the plans to construct the nuclear plant near their homes. The mountain is an environmental and ecosystem buffer for the surrounding areas of Jepara, Kudus and Pati, where many large industries have been established.

Lilo Sunaryo from the Earth Guardian Society, a Jepara-based non-governmental organization, said the government should reconsider and relocate the nuclear plant site due to the high possibility of earthquakes in the area.

"There are 29 hills surrounding Mount Muria. It is possible there could be a crack in the earth's crust between the hills, which could create earthquakes in the future, considering we are in the (Pacific) Ring of Fire zone," Lilo said during a discussion held by the United Development Party (PPP) faction at the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

The head of the Nuclear Energy Development Center at the National Atomic Energy Agency (BATAN), Sarwiyana, said the government had conducted several studies to ensure the safety and suitability of the site. He added that a crack in the earth's crust would not indicate immediate danger as has been evidenced in Japan, which has similar geographic characteristics to Indonesia.

He said the Tsuruga nuclear plant in Japan is located in an area which is more susceptible to earthquakes than the Muria site. "So it's quite safe here," he said. BATAN chief Adi Wardoyo said the government would restore the area to its previous condition once the plant was decommissioned.

Mohammad Ridwan, former head of the Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency, said the nuclear plant would not release carbon emissions into the atmosphere, thus making it the most environmentally friendly energy option for the country.

The head of the PPP faction, Lukman Hakim Syaifuddin, said the discussion was held to gather opinions on the project and that his party had not yet taken an official stance.

"We can see that it is the environmental effect that the communities reject, not the nuclear plant. The government must minimize the negative impacts of the plant's construction, while convincing the House and the concerned communities," Lukman said.