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Jakarta Post

GE powers RI's economy, one step at a time

Inforial (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta, Indonesia
Tue, October 11, 2016

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GE powers RI's economy, one step at a time (Photo: Courtesy of GE) (-/-)

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S-based multinational conglomeration GE recently worked together with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) to host an international gathering of more than 200 business executives, academics and innovators around the ASEAN region in its Future of Electricity conference on Sept. 21.

This latest edition of GE Reports ASEAN examines President Joko Widodo's very first power plant project under his ambitious 35,000MW energy plan. It also focuses on GE's collaboration with its Indonesian partners to deliver fast and efficiently generated power to communities in Gorontalo and Lombok.

(Photo: Courtesy of GE)(-/-)

Gorontalo, where it all begins

The Gorontalo province is where President Widodo's ambitious 35,000M plan takes shape. It lies 3,000 kilometers northeast of Jakarta. It is a tranquil landscape of hot springs and more than 500 species of hard, pristine coral reefs lined with lush forests and natural vistas.

The province's current power grid is faltering under growing demand. It has had to get most of its power supply from neighboring provinces. In response, the Indonesian Government collaborated with GE in late October 2015 to build four gas-fired power plants there to provide electricity to more than 800,000 homes in the area.

Power plant on wheels

A central element of this project is GE's TM2500 mobile gas turbine generator set .It makes use of the same engine used to power US President Barack Obama's Air Force One -- only, in this case, it is a ground-based version of the popular CF6 jet engine.

Mounted on a mobile, two-trailer assembly, these generators are capable of efficiently generating more than 25MW of power output each in the hot and humid climate of Indonesia.

Thanks to its decade-long experience installing these generators, it takes GE only 11 days from having the TM2500 arriving on a truck to being operational. It takes an additional 10 minutes to bring the generator to full power.

These "power plants on wheels" allow areas with inadequate energy infrastructure like Gorontalo to generate backup power during natural disasters and plant shutdowns. It also has the benefit of stabilizing the province's power grid. These benefits are all in line with the Indonesian Government’s commitment to increase the country’s electrification rate to 97 percent by 2019.

Delivering fast power to the people in Lombok

The fast power model established in Gorontalo has been spread to other areas in Indonesia.

GE has worked with PLN and PLN Batam to successfully introduce two TM2500 gas turbines in the rapidly growing tourist hotspot of Lombok.

It took a mere six days for the power plants to travel from Singapore to Lombok. Building them on the ground only required five months.

The province currently only has an electrification rate of 71.79 percent. As such, the additional 50W the new turbines bring will deliver much-needed stability to Lombok's power grid, its 3.2 million citizens and its tourism and agriculture industries.

The timing for these new turbines is particularly relevant, as it was aligned with PLN and PLN Batam's promise to President Widodo to deliver the plants before the start of the MTQ (National Koran Recital Competition).

Continuing investment in Indonesia

Economic success relies heavily on electricity. It improves livelihoods and productivity, allowing nations to be competitive and drive the economy to even greater heights.

Since 1940, more than $1 billion has been invested as part of GE's commitment to supporting infrastructure development. GE technology to date is responsible for more than a fifth of the country's electricity generation. More than 8GW of electricity exists thanks to GE's gas turbines.

Indonesia is on the brink of advancing its power sector. It needs to take the next step and embrace new industry breakthroughs. The changes might currently be small, but they will certainly open up different vantage points for the country and pave the way for greater growth and path-breaking changes in the future.

 

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