Indonesia Approves Nuke Power Plants

(Jakarta, Indonesia) Indonesian authorities have approved a plan for four 1,000 megawatt nuclear power plants with construction and startup scheduled for completion in 2016. The site of the project is the Muria peninsula on the north coast of the island of Java which was chosen for its volcanic and seismic stability.

Indonesia's energy requirements have grown rapidly with current electricity production supplied by hydro and fossil-fueled power plants. The country is a member of OPEC, however, it has been unable to reliably and profitably supply oil for the world market recently due to internal demand and depletion of existing oil fields. There has even arisen some political pressure to have Indonesia cease being an OPEC member due to the cost. Consequently, nuclear power has become an attractive alternative.

As an aside, it's unusual to cite 'volcanic and seismic stability' in a discussion about Indonesia. Even so, we're sure to see the environmentalists erupt.