OTP starts geothermal exploration in North Sumatra
Monday, November 17 2014 - 04:34 AM WIB
OTP Geothermal Consortium has started exploration activity at Sorik Marapi geothermal project in Mandailing Natal Regency, North Sumatra Province, with the aim of developing a 2x110 MW geothermal power plant, according to an official at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry.
Director of Geothermal at the Directorate General of New and Renewable and Energy Conservation, Tisnaldi told Petromindo.com that with additional geothermal power plants in North Sumatra reaching up to 500 MW (including the 3x110 MW Sarulla geothermal power plant), OTP and Sarulla consortia can deliver electricity to Aceh province.
"We've integrated its transmission. That's what we expect today," he said, adding that the first and second phase of the Sorik Marapi geothermal project will come on stream in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
Meanwhile, the communities of the five sub-districts in Mandailing Natal Regency launched a protest recently to reject the geothermal exploration activity conducted by OTP Consortium, because they believed the activity would bring natural disasters, Liputan6.com reported on Nov. 13.
The OTP consortium is led by Australia-listed energy firm Origin Energy along with Indian energy giant Tata Power Company Ltd. and Indonesian firm PT Supraco Indonesia. The Sorik Marapi geothermal concession was awarded in September 2010.
Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak