Russian company to build first Indonesian nuclear power plant

Russian electricity company Raoues is slated to build Indonesia's first nuclear power plant, a local newspaper reported Monday.

The facility will be located in Gorontalo province, Sulawesi island, in order to meet long-term demand for electricity there and in nearby provinces, reported The Jakarta Post.

Gorontalo Governor Fadel Muhamad has stated that the new plant is expected to start operating by the end of 2007.

He also claimed Gorontalo will be registered as the first province in Indonesia to enjoy nuclear electricity.

The nuclear plant would be designed to have a generating capacity of 90 megawatts, which would be sold to state-owned electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) at a price one-third lower than that of conventional electricity.

A cooperation agreement will reportedly be signed by Fadel and Raoues representatives in Russia.

"The Russian side has prepared everything. It's now waiting for Gorontalo province's response," Farino Sariowan, a Raoues project developer in Indonesia, was quoted as saying.

Source: Xinhua