Australia?s Maxnum Power to build power plants in S. Kalimantan

Australia?s energy firm Maxnum Power is planning to build a number of coal-fired power plants in South Kalimantan province with a initial capacity of 25 megawatts (MW) and 12 MW, Banjarmasin Post reported on Tuesday.

The provincial administration and the Maxnum Power had already reached an agreement to build the plants, Sonny Partono, a spokesman for the South Kalimantan provincial administration, said on Monday in Banjarmasin.

Under the agreement, the provincial administration would provide 20 percent of the total cost of the project, Sonny said.

During its first phase, the Australian firm will build the power plant at Banjarmasin with a capacity of 25 MW. It will also construct another one with a capacity of generating 12 MW at Batulicin in Tanah Bumbu regency, he said.

In the later phase, it will build another two plants with a capacity of 12 MW in the province.

The building of power plants at Banjarmasin and Batulicin would cost US$20 million and $10 million respectively, he said.

South Kalimantan had applied on October 7, 2003 for the permission to build the power plants from the state-owned electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN ) president director.

The contract to build the plants was given to Alstom. (*)