Batan: BUMN Can Do Nuclear Mining

Illustration (Pixabay)

JAKARTA - The National Nuclear Energy Agency (Batan) said, based on the Cipta Karya Law, State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) can carry out mining activities for nuclear minerals.

Expansion in terms of exploitation of nuclear mining materials is expected to encourage economic improvement and community welfare.

"In the Job Creation Law, it is now possible for SOEs and the private sector to cooperate with BUMNs. Thus, the opportunities for exploitation are wider and it can be expected that economic benefits will increase, as well as community welfare," said Head of Batan Anhar Riza Antariksawan to Antara. Jakarta, Friday, October 23.

Anhar said, so far, exploitation of nuclear mining materials and radioactive by-products, for example rare earth metals, has only been carried out by the Implementing Body, namely Batan.

Based on the Cipta Karya Law, Article 9A states that the central government can determine a business entity that carries out mining activities for nuclear ore.

Mining activities can be carried out by state-owned enterprises in collaboration with fellow private-owned enterprises.

Mining of these nuclear minerals, includes mining which produces radioactive by-products.

If an individual or business entity finds radioactive by-products, it is obliged to transfer it to the state or state-owned enterprises in accordance with the provisions of laws and regulations.

Nuclear mineral materials are controlled by the state and the central government shall determine the mining business area for nuclear mining materials in accordance with the provisions of statutory regulations.

Anhar said related to nuclear mining materials in the form of fissile materials, such as uranium, exploration is still needed. The current stage has not yet reached exploitation, so enrichment is not needed.

"Only a few countries have developed an enrichment process," he said.

Meanwhile, with regard to the fabrication of nuclear fuel for plate-fueled research reactors, PT Industri Nuclear Indonesia (Inuki) has been able to do it, so the GA Siwabessy Multipurpose Reactor (RSG GAS) also uses 100 percent of PT Inuki's production.