Jokowi inaugurates PLTMG Arun

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated a gas engine power plant in Meuria Paloh village, Muara Satu district, Lhokseumawe mayoralty, Aceh ? called PLTMG Arun ? with a capacity 184 MW, state owned electricity firm PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) (Persero) said in a statement.

Jokowi said PLN chose to build a gas engine power plant rather than a coal-fired power plant because the former can be completed much faster than the latter, whereas the area is at present undergoing a shortage of power supplies.

A gas engine power plant takes only 18 months to develop from the time it is planned, he said.

While a gas engine power plant is costlier to develop than a coal-fired power plant, it is a better alternative for areas experiencing power shortage. As such, Jokowi said he had instructed PLN to build another gas engine power plant to fulfill the power needs of customers in the area, including industries.

?I asked the president director of PLN whether there will be a follow-up to this project. He said there will another 250 MW,? Jokowi said in his speech.

Lhokseumawe is a major industrial area Aceh. It is home to several big industrial companies, such as paper producer PT Kertas Kraft Aceh, cement firm PT Pupuk Iskandar Muda and fertilizer firm PT Asean Aceh Fertilizer (AAF).

Editing by Johanne Simbolon