"We hope Kaltim can be a pioneer in alternative energy, which is cheap and abundant," Indonesia`s Research and Technology Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta said.
Balikpapan, East Kalimantan (ANTARA News) - Indonesia`s Research and Technology Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta is in support of the East Kalimantan (Kaltim) Administration, to establish nuclear power plants (PLTN) in the region.

"We hope Kaltim can be a pioneer in alternative energy, which is cheap and abundant," the Minister said in Balikpapan, on Wednesday (Nov 21).

The Minister visited Kaltim to provide his inputs during the Focus Group Discussion on Identification of Technology Needs and Applicative Technology Potential, which is in line with the MP3EI program.

According to him, in order to generate 1,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity for 24 hours, a nuclear power plant needs one gram of enriched uranium in the reactor.

If coal power plants (PLTB) are used, a generator requires hundred tons of coal to generate 1,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity for 24 hours.

The electricity produced from a nuclear power plant is sufficient to fulfil the energy needs of Kalimantan.

"A power plant is clean and does not contribute to global warming, as it does not produce smoke and pollutants," added the Minister.

He said that a nuclear power plant is similar to a steam power plant. In a nuclear power plant, heat from a nuclear reaction is used to boil water, which in turn gets the turbine active, to produce electricity.

"A nuclear power plant ensures that the nuclear reaction stays within the reactor itself. Since there are no volcanoes in Kalimantan, the land is stable and not vulnerable to tsunamis," said the Minister.

The Minister added that uranium (fuel) is abundant in some parts of Kalimantan, including East Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and West Kalimantan.

The Governor of East Kalimantan, Awang Faroek Ishak, said that his region will begin research on the construction of a nuclear power plant in 2013. He added that the research team has been set up.

"We want to utilise nuclear energy in East Kalimantan, and reduce the usage of fossil fuels, oil, gas and coal to generate electricity," Governor said.

According to the Chief of the National Atomic Energy Agency, Djarod Sulistio Wisnubroto, a nuclear power plant takes 10 years to build and requires an investment of up to RP 25 trillion.

"This is the reason we are starting now, when there are abundant natural resources," Governor Awang added.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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