Indonesia To Have Major Nuclear Plant By 2015
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Courtesy Of: Agence France-Presse
Via: Yahoo News
Saturday May 13, 2006

Indonesia will have its first nuclear power plant on densely populated Java Island by 2015, the country's energy minister said.

"We have the blueprint. We will start the construction in six or seven years," Purnomo Yusgiantoro told AFP.

The power plant, to be built in East Java, will have the capacity of 1,000 megawatts in the first phase, with the cost estimated at $US 8 billion ($10.35 billion), he said. The capacity will later be increased to 4,000 megawatts.

"We are open to any investors who are interested in developing the project," he said.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said on Thursday the international community had no objection to the country's nuclear power program.

"Our country has an excellent record of compliance," with regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mr Wirayuda told reporters.

"We have received assurances that if Indonesia wishes to have a nuclear power program, we will have no problems," he said.

Indonesia is South-East Asia's only member of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) but its oil output has fallen in recent years to about one million barrels per day amid flagging investment.

Indonesian nuclear power plans were shelved in 1997 in the face of overwhelming public opposition and the discovery and exploitation of the large Natuna gas field. But nuclear plans were floated again last year.

Critics have said that Indonesia has many alternative energy sources and that a decision on whether to build the plant should rest with the people.

Source:
http://au.biz.yahoo.com/060513/31/piko.html