West Kalimantan Government Readiness for Thorium Power Plant in Support of Regional Energy Security and National Defense

Energy is an important aspect in supporting national defense. Without adequate energy, a country's defense will be weak. West Kalimantan is an Indonesian province located in the border area between Indonesia and Sarawak, Malaysia. In West Kalimantan, the majority of the people's energy needs come from fossil energy especially its electricity import from SESCO Sarawak, Malaysia. To meet the needs and achieve energy independence of the West Kalimantan Province, in the future the West Kalimantan Provincial Government plans to build Nuclear Power Plant to supply Industrial Estates to be built in West Kalimantan. West Kalimantan has Thorium (4,767) for Power Plant and it will be very beneficial for society, industry and defense. This study is qualitative in nature which aims to analyze Thorium Power Plant and regional policies in West Kalimantan for energy security and national defense. The result is that with the large potential for thorium, unfortunately, regional policies for Thorium Power Plant have not been taken seriously. Meanwhile, the perspective of the people of West Kalimantan is still quite sensitive to nuclear issues, so there is a need for massive socialization and balanced education about the benefits of Thorium Power Plant development