Asahan I hydro power plant to soon operate despite environment minister's protest

PLTA Asahan I hydro power plant in Toba Samosir regency, North Sumatra will begin commercial operation in July this year despite the Minister of Environment?s request to delay the operation, a government agency has said.

Effendi Sirait, the head of the Asahan Authority, which is an agency authorized by the government to supervise development projects benefitting River Asahan, said the operation of the plant would go ahead since the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources had given a greenlight.

Edward made the statement during a dicussion on Wednesday at the House of Representatives.

The PLTA Asahan I is an independent power producer (IPP) project jointly owned by local firm PT Badjradaya Sentranusa and Chinese firm Huadian Engineering Corporation.

Environment Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta had asked the 2x90 Megawatt plant?s operation be delayed until afer the project's owner had conducted an environmental audit.

The minister said that the environmental audit was needed because the plant was built without the mandatory environmental impact analysis impact (Amdal). The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, however, said that the plant did not need an Amdal because it would use a run-off water system in its operation.

?The plant needs only to obtain an environmental management and monitoring document instead of Amdal,? said the ministry?s Director General for Electricity and Energy Utilization J. Purwono.

State electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) would use the power supply from the power pant to cope with power shortage in North Sumatra. (*)