Luwu Utara Regency to offer 2 geothermal working areas
Wednesday, February 15 2012 - 11:21 AM WIB
The government of Luwu Utara regency in South Sulawesi province plans to let the central government to offer two geothermal working areas in the region through an auction or bidding process to find suitable investors.
Najamuddin Nawawi, the head for energy and electricity at the office of energy, natural resources and mineral of the Luwu Utara administration, said the two geothermal areas are located in Pararra, Masamba Subdistrict and Kanandede, Limbong Sub-district. The local government intends to combine the two areas into one permit.
Najamuddin said based on the preliminary exploration activities conducted by the Center for Geology in Bandung, the geothermal energy from the two areas could generate up to 50 megawatts of electricity power.
He noted a number of investors have expressed interests. ?Some investors have expressed interest. But, they have to obtain the permit to explore the areas through government tender.?
Vice Regency Head of Luwu Utara, Indah Putri Indriani, said apart from the two areas, there are also three other spots that have geothermal potentials. In total, the geothermal energy potential of the regency could generate up to 130 MW of electricity.
Indriani added the electricity from the regency could be supplied to meet electricity needs of nearby regions, including Palopo town in Luwu Timur regency and some towns in Toraja Regency.
Editing by Roffie Kurniawan