August 25, 2010

A majority of Indonesians favor the construction of nuclear power plants there. A survey, jointly conducted by the National Nuclear Agency (Batan) and the University of Indonesia's School of Social and Political Sciences, reported that 57.6% of respondents welcomed nuclear plants, with 24.6% opposed, and 17.8% abstaining from voicing their opinion. The survey polled 3,000 people during May and June in 22 regions across Java and Bali. Residents in the central Java regency where the first plant is planned to be built favored it to the tune of 55.3%.

January 20, 2008

* Biodiesel - "People who buy palm oil have orangutan blood on their hands", due to replacement of forests with plantations in Indonesia

September 5, 2007

Indonesia - nuclear power opposition (includes Islamic clerics and Jakarta Post) cite earthquakes and corruption

Dozens of ulema from the Central Java region have issued an edict about plans to build Indonesia's first nuclear plant at Mt. Muria, Jepara. They declared the plant haram, or forbidden by Islamic law, arguing the potential hazards far outweighed the benefits. The ulema are from the country's largest Islamic organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).

The edict was issued one day after around 1,000 residents of a small village near the nuclear plant site joined a hearing with State Minister of Research and Technology Kusmayanto Kadiman. The villagers chased Kusmayanto away when he refused to sign a petition to cancel the nuclear plant.

The Jakarta Post reports that the most well-presented argument by opponents is the fact that Java island sits on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin, and therefore it is prone to seismic upheaval

"Although nuclear plants can be built to withstand temblors, The Post editorializes that the public remains unconfident, especially after a recent quake in Japan caused radioactive leaks at a nuclear plant there. "Such a disaster could easily happen in Indonesia, where the safety record is just lousy, which in itself is an important argument for opposing the nuclear plant.

"Moreover, with so corruption extant in almost all sectors of our life, we are even more concerned of this go-nuclear policy. What if, for example, some of the money budgeted for safety measures of this nuclear plant is stolen? We simply cannot imagine the consequence.

"Also, the proposed location of the nuclear plant is in a densely populated part of Java island. This only makes the safety risks even greater."

[Source: The Jakarta Post editorial, "FORBIDDEN NUCLEAR PLANT", September 5, 2007, p. 6]

* [2006-04-27] Chernobyl and Indonesia's nuclear power ambitions
Warief Djajanto Basorie, Jakarta Post

July 13, 2005

Geothermal prospects for Indonesia

Around 40% of the world's geothermal energy resources are in Indonesia but existing geothermal power plants have a combined capacity of only 807 MW, or about 3% of the potential. The government is planning to gradually increase production of geothermal energy to 2,000 MW in 2008 and up to 6,000 MW in 2020.

[Source: Bill Guerin, "Energizing Indonesia", Asia Times Online (Hong Kong), July 14, 2005]

Natural gas/LNG prospects for Indonesia

Though Indonesia has nearly 180 trillion cubic feet of proven and potential gas reserves, some of the largest known reserves of natural gas in the world, most gas is currently exported unprocessed because of a lack of refining or distribution capacity to use it at home. However, planned investment in pipelines and more terminals to supply the essential infrastructure for domestic distribution will enable more LNG and piped gas to be sold in Java and other areas of the country that face energy shortages.

The gradual scrapping of fuel subsidies has made the price of LNG more competitive with the oil-based fuels PLN uses to produce 18% of its electricity, spurring a new drive to boost and secure a natural gas supply for its power plants in West Java to reduce dependence on oil. The construction of the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal in the country is under way. The terminal, in Cilegon, West Java, will have LNG storage and regasification facilities and will cost some Rp2.28 trillion. It is expected to start operation in 2007, and will receive LNG from ships and convert it into gas. Eventually, 1,200 km of underwater gas transmission networks will link gas producers in East Kalimantan with industrial and household consumers in Java and Sumatra. PLN will spend at least $1.6 billion to build four or five 750 MW gas-fired power plants to beef up the Java-Bali power grid. Bidding for these projects will kick off this month and the plants are expected to be in operation by 2010 or 2011.

[Source: Bill Guerin, "Energizing Indonesia", Asia Times Online (Hong Kong), July 14, 2005]

Coal prospects for Indonesia

Indonesia is among the largest coal producers in the world and is estimated to have some 35 billion tons in coal reserves, of which 23 billion tons are proven reserves. The country's coal output for 2005 is expected to increase to 150 million tons, up by 18% from last year, but some 70% of what is mined will be exported to earn valuable export revenues. Minister of Energy & Mineral Resources, Purnomo Yusgiantoro, says the government intends to increase the use of coal in the primary energy mix. In 2003, coal contributed only 14.1% but is expected to contribute 32.7% to the mix by 2025. Nine more coal-fired power plants are to be built by 2009.

[Source: Bill Guerin, "Energizing Indonesia", Asia Times Online (Hong Kong), July 14, 2005]

Biomass/Solar/Hydro prospects for Indonesia

Biomass energy, available from exploitation of forestry, agriculture and plantation resources, could add as much as 50,000 MW. Similarly, there is good potential for solar energy, with a daily solar intensity of 4.8 kWh per square meter. Hydropower has the potential of adding close to 75,000 MW of generating power, according to government figures.

[Source: Bill Guerin, "Energizing Indonesia", Asia Times Online (Hong Kong), July 14, 2005]

April 16, 2005

* Govt goes ahead with nuclear plant plan
Leony Aurora, Jakarta Post (Indonesia)

Seeking solutions to the steady increase of energy demand in Indonesia amid declining oil output, the government has decided to go ahead with plans to construct nuclear power plants, with the first one to begin construction in 2010. The chief of Indonesia's National Atomic Energy Agency (Batan), Soedyartomo Soentono, said that the first 1,000-megawatt (MW) nuclear power plant was expected to be delivered in 2016. Three more plants of similar capacity, which will be built in Muria in Central Java, will follow in 2017, 2023, and 2024, respectively, he said on Friday.

"Nuclear plants can produce power at about 3.5 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour (kwh), if their capacity is above 600 MW each," Soentono said. State power distributor Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) at present spends about 6 U.S. cents to produce 1 kwh of electricity using oil.