Villagers blockade PGE geothermal project in N. Sulawesi

Residents of Kasuratan Village, Remboken District, Minahasa Regency, in North Sulawesi blockaded on Wednesday the geothermal drilling activity of PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE) Lahendong in the area as the company has yet to pay compensation for damages to their agriculture and plantation areas, Kompas reported on Thursday.

Local informal leader Karel said that the villagers demanded compensation of Rp 5 billion. ?We?ll continue to shut down the geothermal well drilled by PGE. We demand for the compensation first,? he said.

General Manager of PGE Lahendong Eko Agung Bramantyo said the company does not have allocation for paying cash compensation, except through corporate social responsibility program by building infrastructure facilities.

Head of the Minahasa Regency administration mining and energy office, Donald Wagey said PGE must be responsible for any damage to the local environment.

The PGE Lahendong geothermal power project has already been producing electricity since 2001, initially with a capacity of 20 MW but has now been expanded to make a total capacity of 60 MW, making it as the largest power generating unit in North Sulawesi, accounting for 60 percent of power supply in the province. (*)