PLN to start construction of Kumbih III hydro power project in 2019

By Nova Farida

State-owned electricity firm PT PLN said it will start construction of the PLTA Kumbih III hydro power plant project, with capacity of 3x15 MW, in 2019.

PLN Corporate Planning Director Syofvi Felienty Roekman said that the power plant will utilize the current from the Kumbih River, which passes through Sidikalang town in Dairi Regency, North Sumatra Province, and Subulussalam in Aceh Province.

?Construction will take about four years, and it will start commercial operation in 2023,? she said over the weekend.

Syofvi said that the new power plant will help increase power supply in the northern part of Sumatra. She added that the company has obtained financing support from a German financing institution for the estimated 100 million euros project. ?In terms of financing, we have obtained support from Kreditanstalt f?r Wiederaufbau (KfW) Development Bank worth 85 million euros with a tenor of 15 years. The remainder will be financed by PLN,? she explained.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak