Mataloko geothermal plant suspended amid leaks

The Mataloko geothermal power plant in Ulubelu Village, Golewa District, Ngada Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province, has stopped operation since the past three months due to leakages in a number of drilling spots, Kompas reported on Tuesday.

The paper said that the local community has complained of frequent blackouts and bad smell coming from the steam leak.

Manager at the state-owned electricity firm PT PLN?s Ngada region office, Bajawa Mashuro Hasan was quoted by the paper as confirming the suspension of the Mataloko geothermal power plant, but said that the blackout was not caused by the suspension, but due to transmission disruption. He said that extra electricity supply has come from a diesel-fired power plant. He did not say when the plant will resume operation.

The Mataloko geothermal power plant has a potential capacity of 65 MW, Kompas said, but PLN has so far only developed 1.5 MW, which started production in 2011. The geothermal power plant is supposed to provide electricity for eight regencies in Flores, but so far only two regencies namely Ngada and Nagekeo have received power supply. (*)