Batang Toru to relocate eight transmission towers following floods
Thursday, May 28 2026 - 08:06 AM WIB
By Calvin Purba
The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) stated that the Batang Toru hydropower plant in North Sumatra must relocate eight transmission towers affected by the floods that struck Sumatra late last year.
Deputy Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Yuliot said the government would move quickly to complete the necessary regulations so that the relocation of the eight towers can proceed without delay.
“For the Batang Toru hydropower plant, there are eight towers that were affected by the recent disaster. We have already coordinated efforts regarding the relocation of these eight towers,” Yuliot said on Monday.
Yuliot added that the Ministry of Forestry had instructed officials to accelerate the forest area release process so that the relocation can proceed and not disrupt the project’s operational target.
“The first issue is the release of forest areas related to these towers because they are located within forest areas. We are also seeking acceleration from the Ministry of Forestry. Earlier, the Minister of Forestry also requested that the process be expedited,” Yuliot said.
Read also : SDIC Power says $823m guarantee for Batang Toru developer runs until 2041
Despite the change in transmission tower locations, Yuliot emphasized that Batang Toru is still expected to commence operations according to schedule.
The hydropower plant was initially scheduled to begin trial operations in December 2025 or January 2026, but testing was delayed after floods and landslides affected the project area. The project is now targeted to begin operations in October 2026.
Previously, as reported by Ecobiz.asia, PT North Sumatra Hydro Energy (NSHE), the developer of the Batang Toru hydropower plant in North Sumatra, will pay Rp200.6 billion (around $12.7 million) in non-tax state revenue (PNBP) as an environmental penalty following hydrometeorological impacts in the Batang Toru watershed.
Then Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said the payment was scheduled to be made by mid-April 2026, in line with a court settlement agreement.
North Sumatra Hydro Energy is owned by China’s SDIC Power (70%), PLN Nusantara Renewables (25%), and ASIA Hydria (5%).
Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak