PLN admits its Cilacap power plant has not yet get amdal clearance

State-owned electricity firm PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) has admitted that its Cilacap coal-fired power plant project has not yet acquired a clearance on the analysis concerning environmental impact (amdal) of the project, Koran Tempo newspaper reported in its newspaper.

It will apply for amdal clearance while continuing the construction work.

PLN’s director of primary energy and power generation Ali Herman Ibrahim admitted on Thursday that until now, Cilacap plant has not yet applied for the amdal environmental clearance from the concerned authorities.

Initially, the project location was near Pertamina’s oil refinery. Since Pertamina, state-owned oil and gas company, had cancelled the cooperation agreement, PLN, therefore, was forced to move the plant’s present location, Ali Herman said.

“We have already completed the amdal report on the first location. Since the location was changed, now we have to do a new study regarding Amdal, he said.

PLN will try to get the amdal clearance for Cilacap plant very soon, he said.

Cilacap project was designed by PT Geo Dipa Energi, a venture between state-owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina and PLN, and PT Sumber Energi Sakti Prima. Later, PT Geo and PT Sumber formed another venture company called PT Sumber Segara Primadaya with a composition of 51 percent of ownership for Geo and 49 percent for Sumber.

After some time, Pertamina decided to quit from the project. (*)