PLTP Sarulla unit I starts operation

The first unit, with a capacity of 110 MW, of the PLTP Sarulla geothermal power plant project in North Sumatra has started operation, according to the Directorate General of New and Renewable Energy at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.

The directorate said in a statement on Tuesday that the second unit, also with a capacity of 110 MW, is scheduled to start operation in September, while commercial operation date of the third unit with a similar capacity is scheduled for March 2018. The statement did not say when the first unit exactly started operation.

The 3x110 MW Sarulla geothermal power plant project is located at the Gunung Sibual-buali geothermal working area in Tapanuli Utara Regency, North Sumatra.

The project is developed by PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy under a joint operation agreement with Sarulla Operation Ltd (SOL). SOL is a consortium comprising of PT Medco Power Indonesia, Itochu Corporation, Kyushu Electric Power Co. Inc, and Ormat International Inc.

The PLTP Sarulla was part of the second phase of the fast track program of the previous government. Indonesia currently has geothermal power plants with installed capacity of 1,643.5 MW, the third largest in the world after the US and the Philippines.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak