PLN, Tenaga complete FS for Sumatra-Malaysia interconnection project
Monday, August 11 2008 - 02:31 AM WIB
PLN?s President Director Fahmi Mochtar said that the company would cooperate with Malaysia?s Tenaga Nasional Bhd to build the Sumatra-Malaysia power grid.
The feasibility study for the project has been completed. "Now, we are looking for the investment funds," he said, adding that PLN and Tenaga will jointly finance the project, each responsible for the development of parts of the power grid in Idonesian and Malaysian terrotories respectively.
With the construction of the interconnection, PLN could ?barter? its electricity with those produced in Malaysia, he said.
?Malaysia could for example supply its electricity to Sumatra during the night, while Sumatra could provides the electricity to Malaysia during the daytime,? he said.
PLN and Tenaga started talking about the project several years ago but, a Malaysian media said in October last year the talks had been halted due to PLN?s financial constraints.
The grid will stretch from Teluk Gong on the west coast of Peninsular Malysia across Malacca Strait to Riau province?s city of Dumai via Rupat Island. Fifty two kilometers of the cable will lie undersea, according to PLN?s Transmission and Distribution Director Herman Darnel Ibrahim Herman on Sept 2007.
PLN and Tenaga have appointed Shaw Power Technologies, Inc (Shaw PTI) together with its partners Advanced Power Solutions Sdn Bhd, Stone and Webster Management Consultants Inc., Energy Cable Consultants Inc., and Electranix Corp. to carry out a detailed feasibility study (FS) on the project.
Aside from the cooperation with Tenaga, PLN is also seeking to make a cooperation agreement with Singapore's Public Utility Board (PUB) to build a 150-kv power grid linking Batam and the city state.
?For the Batam-Singapore power grid, we have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in which both parties agree that they both need it (the power grid)," Fahmi said. (godang)