West Sumatra Has 61 Locations Of PLTAs and PLTMs

Padang, W Sumatra ( Berita ) :  State power utility PT PLN has identified 61 different locations of hydro-power plants (PLTAs) and micro-hydro power plants (PLTMs) in West Sumatra which confirmed this province as a “barn of green energy”.

The 61 power plant locations have a total capacity of 745.12 megawatts (MW), General Manager of PT PLN oveseeing West Sumatra  Hudiono said in Padang Tuesday. He said that five of the 61 locations already have PLTAs and PLTMs with a total capacity of 254.067 MW, and PLTAs and PLTMs are under construction in nine locations with a projected capacity of 39 MW.

The power plant projects for the other 47 locations are still awaiting potential investors projected to have a total capacity of 416.8 MW. Actually West Sumatra still have many other potential locations for PLTAs and PLTMs with a capacity of 44.3 MW, he said.

He added that the five locations where PLTAs and PLTMs had already been built and producing electric energy are PLTA Batang Agam with a capacity of 10.5 MW, PLTA Maninjau (68 MW), PLTA Singkarak (175 MW), PLTM Pinang Awan (0,4 MW) and PLTM Koto Anau (0.16 MW), while the nine locations which are still in the stage of development are for PLTM Kambahan (2×750 kilowatts), PLTM Sumpur (2×1.000 kW), PLTM Manggani (2×1.168 kW), PLTM Sinamar (2×5.000 kW, PLTM Tarusan (2×1.500 kW), PLTM Bayang (2×3.000 kW), PLTMH Gumanti (2×5.000 kW), PLTM Lubuk Gadang (2×2.500 kW) and PLTM Salido Kecil  (330 kW).

A cooperation agreement for the development and construction of the nine PLTMs had been signed by President Director of PT PLN  Fahmi Muchtar, West Sumatra Governor Gamawan Fauzi, and private circles in Padang last week.

The PLTMs, which will be built under a cooperation with independent power producers (IPPs) are PLTM Kambahan with PT Limaco, PLTM Sumpur with PT Limaco, PLTM Manggani with PT PPN, PLTM Sinamar with PT Selo Kencana, PLTM Tarusan (PT Exabenar), PLTM Bayang (PT Exabenar), PLTMH Gumanti, and PLTM Lubuk Gadang with PT Selo Kencana. In the meantime, PT PLN is cooperating with PT Anggrek Mekar Sari in resuming the operation of PLTM Salido Kecil. ( ant )