The Renun hydropower plant in N. Sumatra cannot be operated

The decline in the water level in the Renun river has threatened the operation of the newly built Renun hydropower plan in Dairi regency, some 180 kilometers from Medan, Kompas reported on Wednesday.

Monang Siromapea, the general manager of the state electricity company PLN?s power generation and network for North Sumatra and Aceh, said that the drop in the water level in the Renun river was far lower than the estimate.

?We find out the drastic drop in the water level when the project has been underway,? he told a hearing with the local legislators,? he said. ?If the destroying of the forests would automatically caused the squeezing of the water catchments area,? he added.

The Renun hydropower plant with a capacity of 82 Megawatt was built to help cope with the shortage of the electricity in the northern part of Sumatra which still relies heavily on the Sicanang steam power plant in Belawan to get the power supply.

According to Siromapea, Japan Bank for International Corporation (JBIC) which provided grant for the Renun power plant has also been concerned over the decline in the water debit in the Renun river. ?The bank have sent a team to find the real situation but they have not yet raised the problem,? he added. (*)