Public acceptance of nuclear power plants in Indonesia: Portraying the role of a multilevel governance system

Abstract

Problems with public acceptance have made nuclear power plant (NPP) projects in Indonesia experience a number of considerable setbacks. Trust in the managing authorities is one of the key factors that is expected to enhance the acceptance of nuclear energy. However, in a country with a multilevel governance system, such as Indonesia, the concept of trust needs to be specified further. By employing both multinomial logit and path models, this paper shows that nuclear energy authorities and local governments are the key players that positively influence the acceptance of NPPs. Meanwhile, the role of the central government in promoting the acceptance of NPPs is barely perceptible. We show important implications for the future development of nuclear energy in Indonesia.