Govt plans to build South Sumatra-Java submarine power cable

The government is considering building a submarine power cable linking South Sumatra and West Java in a bid to add the power supply to the Java-Bali power interconnection, Kompas reported on Friday.

Minister of Research and Technology Kusmayanto Kadiman said in Palembang on Thursday that the submarine power grid would link a number of new power plants in several parts of South Sumatra to the Java-Bali interconnection through Suralaya in Banten.

?The feasibility on the construction of the submarine power cable is underway. We hope it will be able to operate by 2010,? he said in a seminar on South Sumatra?s master plan as the country?s center of energy.

At least 10 steam power plants under construction in several parts of South Sumatra. The power plants which mostly take the advantage of the excess in the province?s coal resources will be able to producer cheaper electricity. When all the power plants have begun operation, South Sumatra will be able to produce 3,000 MW of electricity.

At present, the province produces about 625 MW of electricity. About 275 MW of the total is supplied to other provinces in Sumtara through the South Sumatra-Lampung Power Grid.

According to Kusmayanto, Indonesia will need about 90 gigawatt of power supply by 2010. About 60 GW will be used to cope with the power needs in Java. (*)