Norway to build power plant in Jambi
Monday, July 3 2000 - 03:00 AM WIB
Jambi governor Zulkifli Nurdin said on Saturday that a businessman from Norway would soon build a water-powered power plant with investment value of US$400 million in Kerinci district.
"I have promised to sign a cooperation agreement with the Norwegian businessman on July 17, 2000," Zulkifli said.
However, the Norwegian businessman wanted a guarantee from PT PLN that the state electricity firm would buy a portion of the electricity he would produce in Kerinci, that would use the strong water flow in the Batang Merangin River as the source of power.
Zulkifli said PLN had basically agreed with the request.
The Norwegian businessman, Zulkifli said, also asked the Jambi administration to guarantee safety for the power plant and its employees.
Zulkifli also said that based on an initial agreement with the Norwegian businessman, local water company PDAM Tirta Sakti Kerinci would hold 10 percent ownership in the company that would manage and own the power plant.
Zulkifli, however, refused to disclose the capacity of the power plant to be built in Kerinci, and only said: "What's certain is that the capacity of the power plant would be greater than the power plant in Jatiluhur."
He said that electricity in Jambi is currently supplied by PLN from its diesel and steam-powered power plants.
That's not enough to satisfy all electricity demands in Jambi, and therefore, PLN currently supplies more power to Jambi from South or West Sumatra using its inter-connection lines, which are not reliable and therefore often cause blackouts. (*)