Section E: Policy Recommendations

      1)    Relocation of the Nuclear Plant

Indonesia covers a very wide land and sea area. Of the possible options mentioned namely Batam, Kalimantan and Bangka that are not in the Ring of Fire, Kalimantan is the furthest from Singapore in terms of distance. Steps can be taken to ensure that if an 80 kilometre radius exclusion zone was imposed due to a radioactive material leakage, Singapore would not be included within the exclusion zone if possible.

One possible location is Padang, or Pulau Karimata, Indonesia which is an island off the coast of West Kalimantan. Pulau Karimata is far off the coast of the mainland Kalimantan, having the Java Sea as a medium between itself and West Kalimantan. Upon simulating the exclusion zone of 80 kilometres radius, the exclusion zone only includes a small land area of West Kalimantan (see diagram below). Much lesser Indonesians would be required to evacuate the area and lesser of Indonesia would be affected compared to if the nuclear power plant is built on the mainland of West Kalimantan.

Source: Google Maps

          2)    Form Intercountry Nuclear Communication

As the country that will be using nuclear reactors to generate electricity, Indonesia holds the responsibility to be accountable to their geographically close neighbouring countries, more specifically, Malaysia and Singapore. Whether or not the nuclear power plant(s) will be built near Singapore and Malaysia such that we will be within the 80 kilometre exclusion zone, the radioactive substance can easily reach these neighbouring countries through drifting sea water and materials.

The two-country communication teams shall be made of national emergency and disaster personnel and nuclear power experts so that in times of a nuclear emergency, there will be teams from the neighbouring countries to communicate happenings and instructions to the citizens timely. Teams can be for example, Indonesia - Singapore team, Indonesia - Malaysia team.

In addition, the Indonesia team can regularly update to the other countries on the operating status of the power plant for example any sudden increase of decrease in operating efficiency and maintenance works carried out.

            3)    Additional Control Tower

When nuclear power plant disaster occurs, the plant will potentially leak dangerously high amounts of radioactive substances. Shutting the power plant or containing the leakage would prove a challenge because it requires people to risk exposure to high levels of radioactive materials. If proper guidelines and precautions are not adhered to, or by accident the protective suit tears, these personnel would be putting their lives on the line.

Hence, an additional control tower outside of the 80 kilometre exclusion zone can be constructed to shut the nuclear plant down from afar, reducing the need for personnel to risk exposure, especially directly after a disaster. This would enable Indonesia to reduce the extent of damage directly after the disaster. Containment and cleaning up of radioactive materials would be less risky also if the nuclear plant has been shut down.

            4)    Invest in Backups and Quality Materials for the facility

Most nuclear plants have backups for almost all essential functioning parts of the facility in case any part of the facility and reactor spoils, there will be a safety net to prevent a nuclear power plant failure (not due to natural disasters) from occurring. Also, high quality materials must be used in the construction and maintenance of the nuclear power plant to prevent structure and operational faults. Although these investments may jack up the total expense of the nuclear power plant, they are definitely essential.