Steel Imports Relaxed Conditional In The Case Of Cs-137 In The Cikande Industrial Estate

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Iron and Steel Association (IISIA) revealed that the government has relaxed imports of scrap metal or scrap metal which was previously stopped due to findings of Cesium-137 (Cs-137) radioactive contamination.

IISIA Executive Director Harry Warganegara said the government had given the steel industry three months, as a user of raw materials in the form of a script, to install radioactive detection devices such as the Radiation Portal Monitor (RPM) at the merger facility.

"It will take time to install it because the goods are also imported, the fastest is three months. So, we also ask that three months we can't import the script, that means, right, stop production. Finally, we are allowed to give an additional three months," said Harry when met at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Wednesday, November 12.

If within three months the merger business actors have not installed the detection device, the import screen permit will not be issued. This of course can result in factory operations.

Harry said his party agreed on the decision. Although, the installation requires additional investment of IDR 3.5 billion-IDR 5 billion.

"We agreed, we followed the government's request to install the tool. It's just that when we simulated, for example, yes, it turned out that this detection could not be done anything. The question is, can we re-export it? We can't, because we have left the customs area," he said.

According to Harry, radioactive detection devices should be in a customs area or border area managed by the Directorate General of Customs and Excise. That way, if the import of the swab is detected as radioactive, the goods can be returned to their home country.

Meanwhile, he continued, if exposure is found when it is in the melting facility area, the goods cannot be returned to their country of origin. His party has asked the National Nuclear Energy Agency (Bata) if found again radioactively contaminated goods, the goods are 'planted'.

"Where is the question planted? Right, it has not been discovered. It would be nice if the first place of prevention was in a border. We installed a smelting device, but that should not be used as a place for early detection, making it a further detection place," he explained.

Based on IISIA records, the industry currently needs two million tons of used scraps or metals for steel production needs. In this case, new local screens can supply 600,000 tons, while the rest are imported.

Met separately, the Director General of Metal, Machinery, Transportation Equipment and Electronics (ILMATE) of the Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) Setia Diarta said that his party was coordinating with related ministries/agencies to ensure that the need for imported steel raw materials could still be allowed.

"This is what we are trying to coordinate again with our ministry/institutional friends so that the industry continues to produce," he explained.