Buleleng coal fired power project wins government's approval

The government has approved the plan to build a coal-fired steam power plant with a capacity of about 400 megawatt near Celukan Bawang port in Buleleng regency, Bali, Investor Daily reported on Tuesday.

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro said in Denpasar on Tuesday that the construction of the Buleleng steam power plant would be quite important in providing additional power supply in Bali province.

The minister said that his office would soon issue the permit after it received the proposal from the developer. "The pricing of the power to be produced from the Buleleng power plant should also receive our approval," he added.

Bali Energy Limited, in cooperation with Pertamina, also plans to develop a geothermal power project in the Batukuru forest conservation area in Bali in a bid to provide more power supply in the province.

However, the construction of the power plant, more popularly called Bedugul geothermal project, is opposed by local residents, who fear that the project would hurt the environment. (*)