Land acquisition hampers PLN?s transmission line project

State-owned electricity company PT PLN said a planned 58.9 kms power transmission line project in Lampung has been hampered by difficulties in acquiring the required land.

PLN Senior Manager Agung Murdifi said in a statement that some landowners have declined to ?release? their land for the project. ?Frankly, the completion of the transmission line depends on the land availability,? he said in a statement Friday.

He said that the transmission line will facilitate the distribution of electricity from South Sumatra, a power surplus region, to Lampung, a power deficit region.

PLN has started the project since 2007. Of the target to construct 179 towers, so far only 90 have been constructed. The project has been temporarily suspended due to the land acquisition problem.

South Sumatra currently has installed power capacity of 1,150 MW, while peak load stands at 714 MW, providing a surplus of 436 MW. Meanwhile, Lampung is currently suffering a power deficit of up to 130 MW.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak