Indonesia's Energy and mineral Resources Minister Tasliff says the government is considering a Russian proposal to develop nuclear power plants in Indonesia.
"Not only Russia, but other countries have also offered to build a nuclear power plant under bilateral cooperation programmes," he said in an interview on the sidelines of a joint working meeting between the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and the Ministry of Industry in Bogor, West Java, on Monday. We will study which (offer) is competitive and reliable. According to the energy roadmap we have in mind, the demand for nuclear will not begin until 2040."
According to Taslif, Indonesia has the raw materials to develop nuclear power and meet future demand for clean electricity.
Tasliff said many countries will be applying and using nuclear technology in the next 20 years, so they need to ensure its safety.
Earlier, After Indonesian President Joko Widodo's visit to Moscow in late June, Russian President Vladimir Putin drew attention to the interest of a Russian company in developing nuclear power plants in Indonesia and its readiness to participate in the development of Indonesia's nuclear energy industry.
Meanwhile, Fahmy Radhi, an energy economics observer from The University of Gazamada (UGM), on Monday encouraged Indonesia to accept Russia's offer to develop nuclear energy.
He said the proposal to develop nuclear power plants in Indonesia was acceptable based on the experience, capability and reliability of Rosatom technology. A nuclear power plant is a thermal power plant equipped with a nuclear reactor that uses uranium to generate electricity. Nuclear power is a clean energy source and could help feed India's power plant's mix of new and renewable energy sources.
In fact, nuclear plants can help overcome the disadvantages of solar and wind farms, which rely on sunlight and wind, respectively, and cannot supply power at full capacity all the time, he stressed. Before developing nuclear power plants in cooperation with Russia, the government, the House of Representatives (DPR) and the National Energy Commission (DEN) must revise the national energy policy, which until now has used nuclear power as a last resort.