PLTG Gorontalo starts operation

State owned electricity firm PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) (Persero) announced that the development of PLTG Gorontalo power plant project in Gorontalo province has been completed and the power plant successfully carried out ?voltage trial? on Friday to enter the North Sulawesi-Gorontalo (Sulutgo) grid.

The power plant, which is owned by PLN and constructed by state owned construction firm PT Pembangunan Perumahan, has four power units, each with the capacity of 25 MW. The ?voltage trial? was carried out on two power units, PLN said.

The ?voltage trial? ceremony was attended by PLN?s Director for Sulawesi and Nusa Tenggara regions Machnizon Masri and Gorontalo Governor Rusli Habibie.

?The development of the project was relatively quick, taking only four months. It took only four months for us to install four turbines each with the capacity of 25 MW. We have also carried out tests panel and transformer at PTLG Gorontalo?s substation and all were running well,? Machnizon said.

Along with the power plant project, PLN has also completed the construction of PLTG Gorontalo substation and six high-voltage towers with a capacity of 150 kV, stretching 1.4 circuit km from PLTG Gorontalo to Marisa substation.

Machnizon said a total of 700 workers were involved in the development of the project which is located in in Maleo village, Paguat district, Pohuwanto regency.

With two power units of PLTG Gorontalo having connected with the Sulutgo grid, the installed capacity of the grid is now increasing by 50 MW. At present, peak load on the Sulutgo grid reaches 325 MW, while the installed capacity is 320 MW. In Gorontalo, the installed capacity is only 50 MW, while peak load reaches 80-85 MW.

The other two units of PLTG Gorontalo is scheduled to enter the grid at the end of February 2015, he said.

Editing by Johannes Simbolon