Kalimantan hydropower project likely ready by 2013: RI
The Jakarta Post. Jakarta - 10/03/2011
Indonesia will likely push back the launch of the West Kalimantan-Sarawak hydropower plant project one year to 2013, according to an official.
The plant, part of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity, would likely be the first of two currently under construction by Indonesia and Malaysia as to be finished, Foreign Ministry ASEAN economic cooperation chief Rahmat Pramono said on Tuesday.
“The initial [completion] target was 2012, but after a recent meeting it is likely to be 2013,” he said on the sidelines of the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting in Yogyakarta.
Indonesia is working on the hydropower plant project on the West Kalimantan side of the nations’ broder, while Malaysia is working in Sarawak.
The projects will eventually be linked to each other at a central point for adjustments.
The US$150-million West Kalimantan-Sarawak interconnection project consists of high voltage 275 kilovolt (kV) alternative current (AC) interconnections, according to the project.
Power lines will connect the Bengkayang substation in West Kalimantan to the Mambong substation in Sarawak.
Under the project, Indonesian state electricity firm PT PLN will build an 82-kilometer line in West Kalimantan, while Malaysian state power firm Tenaga Nasional Berhad will build a 38-kilometer line in Sarawak.
PLN will also build 60 kilometers of 150kV AC power lines from the Bengkayang substation to the
Singkawang substation, also in West Kalimantan.
The project is expected to increase the reliability of the West Kalimantan power grid and reduce oil consumption, as existing plants are diesel fueled.
The other hydropower plant project is the $490-million Melaka-Pekanbaru interconnection, which involves 600 MW high voltage direct current.
This project consists of a 52-kilometer submarine cable under the Malacca Strait between Telok Gong in Malaysia to Rupat Island in Indonesia, 30 kilometers of overhead transmission lines crossing the island and a 5-kilometer submarine cable crossing the Rupat Strait to Dumai.
From Dumai the connection will continue to Garuda Sakti in central Sumatra with 200 kilometers of 275kV overhead transmission lines to be built by PLN.
There will also be converter stations in Telok Gong and Garuda Sakti, including harmonic filters and transmission facilities. The project will be implemented in two phases, each with a 300 MW capacity.
In both projects, each country will share peaking capacity and spinning reserve due to differences in peak hours and load curves.
The projects are 2 of 15 given priority in the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity.