Pertamina Invests 2,5 Billion Dollar Geothermal Power Plants

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Jakarta, July 5 (ANTARA Lampung) - State Oil and Gas Company PT Pertamina (Persero) has set aside Rp33 trillion or 2.5 billion US dollars for investment in geothermal power plants development until 2019.

President Director of Pertamina Dwi Soetjipto said here in a release, Sunday, the investment fund will be used to enhance the capacity of the geothermal power plants from 505 Megawatt to 907 Megawatt in 2019.

"We have put the development of geothermal energy in one of our strategic priorities and we've had the blue print for the development until 2019," Dwi Soetjipto said during the inauguration of the Kamojang Geothermal Plant in Garut, West Java.

The 907 MW capacity geothermal power plant is expected to reduce the use of fuel oil until 43,000 barrel oil equivalent per day.

Pertamina has been developing several projects on geothermal power plants namely Kamojang 5 (1x35 MW) and Karaha (1x30MW) in West Java Province; Ulubelu 3 and 4 (2x55 MW) in Lampung Province ; Lumut Balai 1 and 2 (2x55 MW) in South Sumatra Province.

Other geothermal power plant development projects include Lahendong 5 and 6 (2x20 MW), a small-scale plant of Lahendong (2x5 MW) and Sibayak (1x5 MW) in North Sumatra Province; Hululais 1 and 2 (2x55 MW) in Bengkulu Province; and ; Sungai Penuh 1 (1x55 MW) in Jambi Province.

"All of the geothermal projects have a total capacity of 505 MW for which the value of investment reached 2.5 billion US dollars," Soetjipto said.

Those projects are expected to commercially operate from 2015 until 2019 gradually.

By the year 2019, after the projects' development is finished, Pertamina would have a capacity of 907 MW.

Most of the project development is managed by PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE), PT Pertamina's subsidiary, and carried out by PT Rekayasa Industri.

The construction projects are expected to provide job opportunities for around seven thousands people.

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), here, Sunday, symbolically inaugurated geothermal power plants (PLTP) located in several regions to increase the country's power supply.

The head of state was accompanied by State Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Indroyono Soesilo, Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel, and President Director of the state-owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina Dwi Soetjipto.