Nuclear power plan for Java

Indonesia has selected a unit of Japan's second-largest power company to carry out a feasibility study on a proposed nuclear power project in northern Java, according to news reports.

The reports quoted Indonesian and Japanese officials as saying the contract had been awarded to New Japan Engineering Consultants Inc, a unit of Kansai Electric Co. Ltd.

The news fuelled speculation that Japan's biggest builder of nuclear power plants, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd, would become the likely candidate to carry out the ambitious project due to its close ties to the Kansai unit.

Other companies interested in taking part in the project, estimated to cost up to $18 billion, reportedly include Westinghouse Corp and General Electric Co. of the United States as well as a Franco-German consortium.

Indonesia is currently planning to build up to 12 nuclear power plants with generating capacities of between 600 megawatts and 1000 megawatts each on the densely populated island of Java over the next 25 years. The first plant is to have a 600-megawatt capacity and is expected to be operating by 2005. -- via Pegasus

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