Siemens to supply switchgear for Sarulla geothermal power plant
Thursday, September 24 2015 - 03:20 AM WIB
Siemens, an engineering company of Germany, has received an order from Hyundai Engineering and Construction Co. Ltd, the contractor of Sarulla geothermal power plant in North Tapanuli regency of North Sumatra province, to provide three units of generator switchgear with the type of HB3-80.
The geothermal power plant, the largest geothermal power plant in Indonesia to date, is currently being constructed and will have a total generation capacity of 351 Megawatt (MW). As general contractor, Seoul-based Hyundai Engineering and Construction will complete the power plant by 2018.
The geothermal power plant is owned and will be operated by Sarulla Operations Ltd. (SOL), a consortium consisting of PT Medco Energi International (27.5%), US based Ormat Technologies (12.75%), Japan based Itochu (25%), and Kyushu Electric (25%).
Siemens said in a press release issued on Wednesday that the first unit of the switchgear manufactured in Germany will be delivered in September 2015, and the other two will follow in June 2016.
Deployed between generators and transformers, the generator switchgear synchronize conditions such as frequency, voltage, and phase with the network. In the event of a short circuit in the generator or transformer, the integrated vacuum circuit breakers will immediately interrupt the flow of electricity. This protection prevents subsequent faults that could impair the operation of the entire power plant.
Development of geothermal power plants is part of the renewable energy development program of the Indonesian government under President Joko Widodo (Jokowi). Indonesia plans to expand renewable energy sources such as geothermal energy and hydropower because these sources are far more economical and greener compared to the fossil fuels.
Editing by Benget Besalicto ST.