Bakrie wins tender to build NTT geothermal power plant

PT Bakrie Power, part of the widely diversified business group Bakrie and Brothers has won a tender to build a geothermal power plant in Sokoria, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) which will have a capacity of 30 megawatt.

?The winner of the tender for the construction of the geothermal power plant had been announced early January. Bakrie is still waiting for a license from the NTT government to go ahead with the plan,? Sugiharto Harsono, a senior official at the directorate general of mineral, geothermal and coal at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Bakrie Power?s president director Ali Herman Ibrahim confirmed that the company had won the tender to build the Sokoria geothermal power plant but he was reluctant to elaborate about the investment plan for the project.

But, according to the ministry?s estimate, each 1 megawatt of electricity produced by a geothermal power plant would require investment of up to US$1.5 million. With this assumption, the Sokoria power plant would cost at least $45 million to build.

The Sokoria power plant will be part of nine geothermal power plants offered for construction by the government. The total capacity of the nine power plants is expected to reach 680 megawatt. (*)