The global politics of Indonesian nuclear power: policy, practice, and democratic accountability

The global politics of Indonesian nuclear power:  policy, practice and democratic accountability.  Speaker: Richard Tanter.  Picture from here Wednesday 29 August 1pm - 2pm Light refreshments provided Almost a year after President Yudhuyono pushed planning for Indonesia’s first nuclear power plant off his agenda, hardly a week goes by without a media report that a senior Indonesian political, governmental, industry or academic figure has called for a renewed commitment to nuclear power.  As Vietnam and Malaysia push ahead with their own nuclear planning, pressure for the Indonesian government to nuclear power planning, which began more than three decades ago, comes from both from nuclear power advocates within the government, and from would-be nuclear vendors in Japan,Korea, France, and Russia.  The long-running plan to build a large NPP on the Muria Peninsula in Central Java was suspended – though not abandoned – in the face of deeply rooted public opposition led by NU. In its place a coalition of the National Nuclear Energy Agency (BATAN), the provincial government of Bangka-Belitung, and leading corporate stakeholders have promoted two sites on Bangka, with allegations of corruption of funds for preliminary planning becoming an element in the turbulent politics of the province.  After the Japanese disaster at Fukushima which provoked SBY’s surprise announcement, the role of corruption and collusion in global nuclear industry, and the need to develop a global framework for nuclear governance and accountability has joined with longstanding concerns about seismic and safety questions, energy economics, and regulatory capacity in Indonesian nuclear power planning.  Room 321, Level 3, Sidney Myer Asia Centre, theUniversity of Melbourne.    Map here. RSVP:           Ramila ramilac@unimelb.edu.au  by 27 August.