Sidrap wind power plant project enters construction phase

By Cepi Setiadi

Courtesy of UPC Renewables

The 70 MW Sidrap wind power plant project in Sidrap, South Sulawesi Province, has entered construction phase and is targeted to start commissioning at the end of this year.

This was said by Primanitya, Business Development Manager of PT UPC Renewables Indonesia, a partner in the joint venture company developing the project, to Petromindo.com on Monday.

She said that foundation and other civil works are in progress. "The turbines are expected to arrive from Spain in July 2017," she said, adding that the company will use Gamesa turbine made in Spain for the project. "We will import around 30 turbines and may be more for spare," she said.

She added that with this progress of development, the company is targeting to have the commissioning of the power plant by the end of this year.

The project is being developed by PT UPC Sidrap Bayu Energi, a joint venture company comprising of PT Binatek Energi Terbarukan, PT UPC Renewables Indonesia, and SunEdison. The power purchase agreement (PPA) with state-owned electricity firm PT PLN for the Sidrap wind farm was signed on August 19 of 2015.

The project is also part of a total 300 MW Memorandum of Understanding that UPC Renewables Indonesia signed with the Governor of South Sulawesi in October 2014. The project will use twenty-eight 2.5 MW utility scale wind turbine generators. Once completed, this project will be the largest wind project in Indonesia. The Sidrap wind project will require an investment of US$180 million and will save an equivalent of 170,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year by replacing fossil fuel.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak