South Power Transmission Grid to operate in March

State owned electricity company PLN is optimistic that South Power Transmission Grid will be able to operate in March, next year after residents in several parts of Yogyakarta province have agreed to receive compensation payment for the land to be used for the construction of the towers, Media Indonesia reported on Monday.

The project manager for the power grid construction, M. Agoeng Nugroho, said at the weekend that residents in Bantul and other parts of the Yogyakarta province had agreed to accept PLN’s compensation offer to pay the land used for the construction of power towers at market prices.

“They have finally agreed to receive the offered compensation payment after receiving advises from Yogyakarta province’s governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X,” he was quoted as saying.

The construction of the 600-km South Power Transmission Grid which links Klaten, Tasikmalaya and Depok through the southern part of Java has been delayed to due to land acquisition problem.

Residents in Bantul and Klaten had been reported to have refused PLN’s offer to pay the land for the power towers at market price. According to PLN, nine power towers at nine locations in Bantul, Klaten and Depok could not be constructed.

The South Power Transmission Grid which will be used as back-up system of the existing North Power Transmission Grid was initially scheduled for operation last year.(*)