N. Sumatra wants Sarulla geothermal power plant be revived

North Sumatra governor Rizal Nurdin has sent a letter to the central government, asking the revocation of a presidential decree that suspended the construction of the Sarulla geothermal power plant in the area because the province is projected to suffer electricity glut next year, Bisnis Indonesia daily reported on Thursday.

Rizal said the revival of Sarulla project was very critical to maintain enough electricity supply to the province. Currently, due to some damages in Belawan water-powered power plants, North Sumatra has to have alternate electricity blackouts.

"In the last three months, North Sumatra has had an alternate blackout because the largest power plant in this area (Belawan) suffers some damages," he said.

Therefore, the construction of the 110-megawatt Sarulla power plant would help a lot for the province's electricity needs. Sarula belongs to state electricity PLN that in its contraction cooperated with U.S. investors.

In addition to Sarulla, a number of power plants in the province had also been suspended, including the 180-MW Asahan I water-powered power plant.

According to the head of PLN's Regional II division, Sam Rassosia, North Sumatra's maximum electricity demand reached at 860 MW in 2000, while its installed power capacity stood at 1,250 MW.

However, next year, maximum electricity demand is projected to rise to 1,034 MW, while installed capacity would only increase slightly to 1,250 MW. (*)