Abstract:
Uranium and Thorium are natural elements known for their radioactive properties that can be used as
a source of nuclear power. Both Uranium and Thorium are new energy sources, and are classified as
alternative nuclear fuels, they are known as green nuclear. Uranium is not a rare metal, it is estimated
that there are 5.7 million tons of uranium reserves in the world in 2015 in the Red Book of The
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development-Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD-NEA).
As for Thorium, which is a heavy metal content in the earth's crust, it has reserves of 6.3 million tons
in the world. Compared to Uranium, Thorium has a more even distribution and one of them is found
in Indonesia. The National Nuclear Energy Agency (BATAN) stated that Indonesia has 79,830 tons of
uranium reserves and 136,966 tons of Thorium, which are scattered in the Bangka Belitung Islands,
Kalimantan Island and Sulawesi Island. The purpose of this paper is to examine the potential of
Uranium and Thorium in Indonesia, including the amount of reserves, their distribution and future
prospects in order to support the nation's energy security, because in Indonesia, nuclear is used for
peaceful purposes, namely as a power plant. |
