"The reasons given by those favoring development of nuclear energy include that nuclear energy would guarantee power supply and the cost is cheaper," BRA Baskoro, the chief consultant of the survey firm said.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - A latest survey shows that the majority of Indonesians agree with plan to develop nuclear energy to better guarantee power supply in the country.

The survey by Andira Karya Persada said 52.93 percent of respondents are in favor of developing nuclear energy with only 24.23 percent against and the rest saying they did not know.

"The reasons given by those favoring development of nuclear energy include that nuclear energy would guarantee power supply and the cost is cheaper," BRA Baskoro, the chief consultant of the survey firm said here on Friday.

The reasons given by 81 percent of those against the plan is that the plan is risky, and the rest said the country has enough other sources of energy and the cost is higher.

The survey involved 4,000 respondents all over the country including 1,000 from Java and Bali with the rest from other regions.

Meanwhile, head of the National Nuclear Energy Agency (Batan) Djarot S. Wisnubroto said such survey was the third every made in the country.

In 2010, a survey showed that 59.7 percent of the respondents were in favor , 25.5 percent against and the rest saying they did not know.

The second survey toward the end of 2011, or after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in March , acceptance declined but remained dominant with 49.5 percent in favor , 35.5 percent against.

"Fukushima disaster caused a decline in the people`s acceptance of development of nuclear energy but after a year is over the acceptance grew again," Gatot said.

Baskoro noted there were swing voters with number of those against the plan declined from 35.5 percent in 2011 to 24.23 percent in 2012 or almost the same as in 2010.

"The position of swing voters depends much on the way the government in socializing the plan," he said.

Plan to develop nuclear energy has long been in the pipeline dating back to the Suharto regime.

The first plan was to build one on the foot of Mount Muria in northern coastal area of Central Java, but implementation failed on strong opposition from local people.

Since then controversy continues to keep the plan in the pipeline.

Last year, Minister for State Enterprises Dahlan Iskan said he had approved plan to build the country�s first nuclear power plant to meet rising energy demand.

Nuclear issue has always triggered controversy in the country , but the plan to build a 200 kilowatt nuclear power plant could proceed, Dahlan was quoted by ANTARA as saying .

Dahlan dismissed fear of radiation danger saying the latest radiation leak at the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima had caused no loss of life .

Earlier, the National Energy Council said nuclear power is not included in the priority in the country's energy development program until 2050.

The provincial administration of Banka Belitung has offered place for the project in one of its islands

However, chairman of the national Energy Council Darwin Zahedy Saleh said the government had decided to develop geothermal and gas energy as the main energy sources to be developed until 2050 .

Yopie Hidayat, the vice presidential spokesman, said the government will continue to study possible development of nuclear power , but it would not be in the priority .(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2012