Minister Stresses Need To Develop Nuclear Energy

Banjarmasin (Antara Bali) - Research and Technology Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta said  it was now the time for Indonesia to begin developing nuclear energy to fulfill the country's energy needs and food resources development to improve people's welfare.

"If people are willing and able to accept nuclear energy, we have to begin before we run out of natural resources such as coal and others," said the minister here Friday.

According to the minister, it was very difficult to change the public's stigma on nuclear which making it difficult to develop much cheaper than other energy technologies.

Indonesian society still think that nuclear energy only be used for bombing purpose as happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and nuclear radiation leaking threat in Fukushima reactor in Japan.

Japan's nuclear incidence makes Indonesian people to be more difficult to accept such energy development, because they thought the death of thousands of residents due to radiation whereas the majority was caused by the tsunami.

Nuclear is also claimed to have a great benefit not only for the development of energy such as electricity but can also be developed to meet the increase need of food sector.(IGT)