A nuclear power plant is not to replace the existing power plant, but instead to complement the existing power plants to meet the national electricity demand
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Acting Head of the Nuclear Research Agency of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Agus Sumaryanto highlighted nuclear energy as a sustainable alternative for the nation's electricity supply.

"A nuclear power plant is not to replace the existing power plant, but instead to complement the existing power plants to meet the national electricity demand," Sumaryanto stated here, Thursday.

He noted that electricity demand kept rising in concert with Indonesia's economic development, yet most electric power plants in Indonesia currently utilized unsustainable fossil fuels that emit carbon emissions despite the country's commitment to lowering carbon emissions by 41 percent by 2030.

"A nuclear power plant is one example of a power plant that does not produce carbon emissions," he noted.

According to Sumaryanto, nuclear energy should be considered as a viable alternative among options to adopt renewable energy resources, especially after the government has targeted 23 percent of national electricity to be supplied from renewables by 2025, including from nuclear power plants.

Meanwhile, Chief Engineer of the Nuclear Research Agency of the BRIN Dhandhang Purwadi stated that a nuclear power plant would be a consistent and reliable electricity provider, unlike solar and wind power that rely heavily on natural conditions.

Nuclear power plants should be synergized with other sources to complement electric supply in case of an issue in the existing power plants, he noted.

"We need to ensure harmonization between the nuclear power plant and other power plants to help meet the electricity demand in regions. For instance, if one region that depends on solar power has an issue that causes a supply dip, then the nuclear power plant could increase its supply to replenish the decrease in supply by the solar power plant," Purwadi expounded.

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Translator: Martha HS, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Sri Haryati
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