Jeneponto power plant to begin trial operation next month

PLTU Jeneponto, a coal-fired power plant currently being built by independent power producer (IPP) PT Bosowa Energy is scheduled to begin a trial operation in December next month to ensure that it will be able to start commercial operation early next year, Kompas.com reported on Thursday.

The power plant with a capacity of 2 x 125 megawatt (MW) is located in Punagaya district in Bangkala district, Jeneponto regency, about 70 kilometers to the south of Makassar, South Sulawesi province capital. The Rp 2.3 trillion power plant which occupies a 100-hectare plot of land is expected to minimize power shortage in the province.

Erwin Aksa, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bosowa Corporation said on Thursday that the construction of the coal-fired power plant had been 85 percent completed. ?The two generators with a capacity of 125 MW each have been installed so that the trial operation could be carried out within the next two or three weeks,? he said.

According to an agreement with PLN, Bosowa will sell its electricity to the state electricity company at 5 US cent per kWh (about Rp 450).

Erwin said that with the current stage of the construction, the power plant was expected to be able to begin commercial operation in March, next year. He said that his company was still negotiating with PLN to build another power plant near the Jeneponto power plant. The second power plant will have a capacity of 350 MW. (*)