Posted on 05/13/2006 2:29:00 PM PDT by Dundee
Indonesia to have major nuclear plant by 2015
Indonesia will have its first nuclear power plant on densely populated Java island by 2015, the country's energy minister has 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 $US8 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 this project," he said.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said on Thursday that 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 mounting 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.
World's largest Muslim country.
One of the world's least geologically stable countries.
One of the world's least politically stable countries.
Right next door to Australia.
Wonderful. /sarcasm
With a prime minister named Megawatti, it was just a matter of time :)
Ooo, that's a good one!
...President Megawati Sukarnoputri? Did she get re-elected?
Nah, Susilo Yudhoyono is the president now. But I'm willing to suspend reality to laugh at that joke.
Yes, if the Indonesian government fell to a more radical faction, it would be bad. There are other countries like her that will be doing nuclear development. We should start an indefinite and more intensified technological defense research regime despite costs. There's no other answer that I know of.
No, since 2005, it's a military guy named Bambang (you couldn't make this stuff up).
Lovely.
You do know it's formally "Susilo Bang Bang Yudhoyono".
So the joke still works ...
Seriously though, he is a bit more compentent than the hopelessly way over her head Mega.
Whether that's enough for a potential basket case like Indonesia, we'll have to wait and see.
High oil prices will bring Nuclear Power online and there's money to be made here folks.
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