Quake-prone Indonesia’s first nuclear power plant plan stokes safety fears
Coal-dependent Indonesia is reviving decades-old plans to build nuclear power plants that were put on hold following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, as it seeks to meet its decarbonisation targets. Some members of the public and experts, however, have voiced concerns about the risks of a nuclear disaster in the quake-prone country, despite one of the leading candidate sites being an…
Indonesia is revisiting its long-standing plans to construct nuclear power plants, aiming to achieve its decarbonisation goals while grappling with safety concerns. Despite Semesak Island's designation as an uninhabited location and its presumed non-seismic status, public and expert opinions remain wary of potential nuclear disasters.
The government aims to have the first nuclear power plant operational by 2032, with nuclear energy contributing up to 12.1 percent of the primary energy mix by 2060. Local officials and businesses welcome the prospect of attracting industries to the region, with Semesak Island located near Bengkayang regency, West Kalimantan, as a potential site.
However, concerns about radiation and the possibility of accidents like those at Chernobyl and Fukushima have been voiced by some residents, including fishermen and villagers. Despite the presence of an international memorandum of understanding between Japan and Indonesia for nuclear energy support, as well as Russia's interest in technical cooperation, Indonesian experts warn against the feasibility and safety of nuclear power plants in the country, citing new active faults and the need for economically viable alternatives.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
