Five firms submit bids for N. Sumatra geothermal right

Five companies have submitted their bids in a tender for contract to develop geothermal resources at Sorik Marapi-Roburan-Sampuraga concession in Mandailing Natal regency, North Sumatra province, a senior governmental official said on Wednesday.

The five companies are PT Cahaya Lentera Mas, which offers to build a 330 MW power plant with a selling price of 7.33 US cents per kilowatt hour (kWh); PT Medco Geothermal Energy (305 MW, 7.96 cents); PT Supraco (240 MW, 8.1 cents); American energy giant Chevron Corp., through its unit PT Jasa Daya Chevron (240 MW, 8.88 cents); and PT Star Energy Investment (220 MW, 9.65 cents), according to Sugiharto Harsoprayitno, director of geothermal division at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources said in Jakarta on Wednesday he said.

?We?re in the phase of clarifying their price assumptions,? Sugiharto said in a phone text message.

Earlier, A Petromindo.Com source said that there were seven bidders competing for the concession. They were Chevron Corp. through its unit PT Jasa Daya Chevron; the consortium of PT Medco Geothermal Energy-U.S firm Ormat International Inc.; the consortium of PT Supraco Energy-Indian firm Tata Power Company-Australian firm Origin Energy; PT Mitrajaya Power, PT Star Energy Investment, PT Cahaya Lentera Anak Mas Sakti and PT Zaskya. (bernard)