BANTEN SIGNS MoU WITH BATAN TO APPLY NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY

Serang, Sept 25 (ANTARA) - Banten's provincial government here Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Nuclear Power Agency (Batan) on the application of nuclear energy in various development sectors.
The MoU was signed by Banten Governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah and Batan chief Hudi Hastowo at a ceremony in the Banten provincial administration's office attended by a number of Banten officials.
Hastowo said on the occasion many people still had negative perceptions about nuclear energy, associating it with deadly weapons, bombs or hazardous materials. Yet nuclear power actually was very useful for the agricultural sector, industry and other developmental sectors if it was technologically developed in the correct way.
"Batan is now capable of applying nuclear technology to fatten cows, developing superior agricultural crop varieties and in hydrology," he said.
He said he would personally and d continuously monitor the implementation of the MoU so that it would really help to increase the Banten people's prosperity.
Meanwhile, Banten Governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah said her administration welcomed Batan's ideas to use nuclear technology to help Banten's development. She hoped Batan's nuclear technology would be useful for the province's agriculture, trade, industry and also water resources development.
"The Banten provincial administration's Research and Development Agency (Balitbang) will follow up the cooperation in technical terms and decide in which sectors nuclear technology will first be applied," she said.