Cirebon Power to break ground on expansion project in May 2016
Tuesday, February 9 2016 - 08:56 AM WIB
PT Cirebon Energi Prasarana (CEPR), the sister company of PT Cirebon Electric Power (CEP), targets to break ground on the 1000 MW power plant project in May 2016.
Heru Dewanto, President Director of CEPR told Petromindo.com recently that the target is set on the condition that the environmental impact study (Amdal) of the project is approved this month (February 2016).
?If the Amdal is approved in February as scheduled, we expect to sign financial closing in March or April, which will be followed by groundbreaking in May,? he said.
He revealed that currently the company has commenced preparation at the location. ?For physical development we are still waiting for the Amdal to be approved,? he said.
Heru, however, revealed that the development of the project could be delayed if the national special master plan, locally known as RUTR Nasional, for the area where the project is supposed to be built, is not amended soon.
?Some of the lands supposed to be used for the project have been earmarked for traditional salt production. Meanwhile, we need (to clear the area) to build a transmission line along 18 km (to link the power plant to the nearest substation owned by state owned electricity firm PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara),? he said.
As a matter of fact, a transmission line has been existing to connect the existing power plant with PLN?s substation, but technically the new power plant will not be able to use it. The Cirebon power plant complex already has a power plant in operation, owned by CEP with a capacity of 600 MW. The transmission line from the power unit to the substation is of 150 kVA type.
?For the 1000 MW project, we need a 500 kVA transmission line. So, we need to build new towers,? he said.
?We are waiting for the government to issue a new regulation to revise the RUTR for the area. Otherwise, the development of the project will be delayed,? he said. .
CEPR is a consortium comprising of Marubeni Corporation, Indika Energy Tbk, Samtan Co. Ltd, Korea Midland Power Co. Ltd, and Chubu Electric Power Co. Inc. The firm has signed Power Purchasing Agreement (PPA) with PLN for the 1000 MW project.
Editing by Johannes Simbolon