Concerns have been raised following the Indonesian government's decision to build the country's first nuclear power plant on Java, a densely populated island. The country, faced with increasing energy demands, aims to produce electricity from this facility by 2016. The project was earlier abandoned in 1997 due to strong public opposition and the discovery of the Natuna gas field, which fulfilled some energy demands.
Indonesia's Atomic and Nuclear Energy Agency spokesperson Deddy Harsono says the project site, the Muria peninsula in Central Java province, was chosen because of its tectonic and volcanic stability; the country is subjected to frequent volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. The project involves the construction of four plants of 1,000 megawatt capacity each. Its critics say the country has many alternative energy sources and the decision on the project should have rested with the people.
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