MEMR to survey wind potentials in Sumatra?s west coast

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) will survey wind power potentials in the western coast of Sumatra starting in May this year, Kontan daily reported on Monday.

?Sumatra?s east cost borders Indian ocean which has a lot of wind,? Alihudin Sitompul, Director of Various New and Renewable Energies said, adding the survey will take two years.

He said few investors are interested to develop wind power plants because the selling price of the power set in the regulation, that is Rp 656 per kWh, is considered too low. The government will thus revise the price in order to attract investors, he said.

There are two wind power plants projects planned at present, one in Yogyakarta with a capacity of 50 MW, another one in Sukabumi with a capacity of 250 MW. ?Efforts to raise funds to finance the projects are now ongoing,? he said. (*)