Coenergy plans solar power plants in East Nusa Tenggara

By Ruli Setiawan

Conergy, one of the leading international solar energy service providers globally, announced Monday that the company has entered an agreement with Indonesia?s PT Buana Energy Surya Persada and PT Indo Solusi Utama to build three 1 MW ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) power facilities that will generate electricity for three towns within the East Nusa Tenggara Province: in Sumba, Ende and Maumere.

This contract marks the first large scale project of Conergy in Indonesia, the company said in a statement.

Conergy said it will be responsible for the engineering, planning, design as well as the component supply for the power plants. On-ground construction and installation in Sumba will be handled by Buana Energy while the Ende and Maumere areas will be covered by Indo Solusi. The entire project is expected to be completed and will be fully operational in the first half of 2016.

Sumba Island, an island in East Nusa Tenggara Province is one of the less developed areas in Indonesia. Currently almost half of the Sumba Island residents do not have access to electricity, with 85 percent of the island?s electricity sourced from diesel.

Meanwhile, renewable energy resources in Sumba Island, Ende and Maumere are abundant. By harnessing these sustainable sources for power generation, the increased availability of affordable electricity can make a positive impact on the livelihoods and the overall quality of life of the local communities.

Coenergy said that once the three new solar power facilities are operational, Sumba, Ende and Maumere will each be supplied with more than 1400 MWh of electricity per year. With average household electricity consumption levels at 10 kwh/month, the equivalent of more than 35 thousand households will have access to electricity in the near future.

?Conergy is very excited to enter Indonesia?s emerging and fast-growing solar market to grow our global footprint and at the same time make a positive impact in the growth and development of solar energy in the country. Besides improving the quality of life of the people, solar power can significantly decrease the use of fossil fuels, making a sizeable contribution to the reduction of CO2 emissions, thereby contributing to the creation of a more sustainable environment in Indonesia,? said Alexander Lenz, President, Coenergy Asia & Middle East in the statement.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak