The Nuclear Energy Program Implementation Organization (NEPIO) must be formed without delay to ensure clarity of nuclear energy use in Indonesia, member of Commission VII of the House of Representatives, Mulyanto, has recommended.

“The proposal of NEPIO has been so long. Frankly, the Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Ministry is stuck here,” he said here on Wednesday.

According to Mulyanto, based on a discussion between several institutions, the formation of NEPIO has been mandated to the EDSM Ministry.

The NEPIO will be responsible for preparing, scheduling, and organizing the activities needed for building nuclear power plants in the country, he said.

Mulyanto also questioned the political will of the government by citing the dissolution of many nuclear-related institutions, such as the National Atomic Energy Agency and the National Nuclear Power Agency.

“There is only the Nuclear Power Supervisory Agency (Bapeten) now. The institutions associated with nuclear power have all been merged into BRIN (National Research and Innovation Agency),” he explained.

The House member also referred to the establishment of the Nuclear Power Board of Councils under Law No. 10 of 1997 on Nuclear Power, which until now has no members.

Mulyanto said he agreed that the government’s obligation to form the NEPIO should be added in the draft of the New and Renewable Energy bill (UU EBT), in addition to state electricity firm PT PLN’s Electricity Supply Business Plan (RUPTL) for 2021-2030 that will introduce nuclear energy.

“The NEPIO structure will be discussed later, but it will not replace the Nuclear Power Board of Councils,” he said.

Furthermore, an expert from the University of Gadjah Mada, Deendarlianto, said the utilization of nuclear power plants can guarantee national energy security and support clean energy. Electricity needs will increase with the nation’s progress and industrial development, he noted.

Nuclear energy can help meet massive energy needs and is suitable for the improvement of Indonesia’s industrialization capabilities in the future, he added.

Earlier, BRIN head Laksana Tri Handoko inaugurated the Indonesian Nuclear Technology Polytechnic in Yogyakarta. The school aims to serve as a vocational education center for nuclear technology not only in Indonesia, but also Southeast Asia.

Source: Antara News