Minister inaugurates rural electricity projects in Bali

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Jero Wacik inaugurated on Tuesday several electricity projects in the rural areas of Bali which have been developed to support power distribution to villages on the tourist island.

The inauguration ceremony was held in Seririt district, Buleleng regency, according to a press release from the ministry.

According to the ministry, the government allocated Rp 2.7 trillion in budget for the development of power infrastructures in rural areas across the country in 2013, including Rp 83.5 billion for the province of Bali, as part of the efforts to increase the country?s electrification ratio. In Bali, the funds have been used to build medium voltage network over 89.3 km, low voltage network over 294 km, 66 distribution stations, each with the capacity of 3.95 MVA, and free electricity installations for 577 poor families.

The government targeted to increase the national electrification ratio to 79.3 percent in 2013 from 76.56 percent in 2012. The target was however exceeded with the electrification ratio reaching 80.15 percent at the end of last year. In Bali, the electrification ratio rose to 78.08 percent in 2013 from 74.95 percent, according to the ministry.

Editing by Johannes Simbolon