TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Bangka Belitung Governor Rustam Effendi said that Vice President Jusuf Kalla's statement on Indonesia's unpreparedness to utilize nuclear energy will not be a reference to cancel the nuclear power plant development in Teluk Inggris, Bangka Belitung Province.
"It just a personal opinion from Mr. Jusuf Kalla, not the government's official decision," Rustam told Tempo on Wednesday, Apr 15, 2015.
Rustam said that until today, he is yet to receive a written statement on the cancellation of the program.
Rustam said that the nuclear power plant development will continue although the program is currently not included in the national spatial plan or Bangka Belitung spatial plan. Rustam said that he will continue to check on the program's status within the national and regional spatial plan.
Previously, Vice President Jusuf Kalla argued that Indonesia's geographical condition makes it impossible to build a nuclear power plant. Kalla asserted Indonesia is prone to earthquakes, which is due to the fact that the country is situated within the Ring of Fire, a famous name for a network of oceanic tranches, volcanic arcs, volcanic belts, and plate movements.
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