Central Kalimantan plans to build new coal-fired power plant

The Central Kalimantan province has made all the preparations to build a 2x60 megawatt coal-fired power plant in Pulang Pisau regency, Kompas reported Saturday.

The construction work is expected to begin this year and will be completed in 2009.

?The new coal-fired power plant with a capacity of 2x60 megawatts will increase electricity supply in Central Kalimantan,? Tomas Sembiring, the head of Central Kalimantan's sub agency of oil, electricity and energy, said in Palangkaraya on Friday.

"The site we are considering for the plant is a land of 40 hectares near the river," Tomas added.

The plant, once built, will be a solution to the electricity problem in Central Kalimantan. So far, there has been always a problem of supplying fuel during dry season, which affects the electricity supply in the province.

Private companies are also building two 2x7 MW coal-fired power plants in Sampit -- the headquarters of East Kotawaringin -- and Pangkalan Bun, the headquarters of West Kotawaringin. Both plants are expected to be completed either end of this year or early next year.

According to Central Kalimantan's mining and energy agency, the province has 2.085 billion tons of potential coal deposits ? 1.073 billion tons of indicated deposits and 684,931 million tons of measured coal deposits. (*)