Alstom to expand production of electricity equipment

PT Alstom Energy System Indonesia, the local unit of France based Alstom, plans to expand the production capacity of power generation related components including boiler, switch gear and circuit breaker with investment of about Rp 200 billion, Beritasatu.com reported Friday.

Budi Darmadi, the Director General of Basic Industries at the Ministry of Industry, said that Alstom would increase its production capacity to meet the growing demand from state utility company PLN. ?Alstom intends to increase supply of electrical components such as switchgear to PT. Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN),? Budi said.

Meanwhile, PLN President Director Nur Pamudji said that the increase in supply from Alstom Energy would enable PLN to reduce its reliance on imported products. ?The locally made components have the same quality with the imported ones because they have to comply with standardization,? he added.

According him, PLN no longer imports transformers because domestic production has been able to fulfill the demand.

He said that Alstom Energy has cooperated with shipbuilding companies PT PAL and PT Barata to produce boilers in their factories in Surabaya, East Java.(*)