PLN to launch tender on Sumatra-Java grid

JAKARTA: State power company PT PLN will this month begin the tender process for the Rp 20 trillion (US$2.18 billion) Sumatra-Java interconnection project which is expected to be completed in 2017 and channel 3,000 megawatts (MW) of power.

The Sumatra-Java interconnection will comprise a converter station in Muara Enim, South Sumatra, to convert electricity in the form of alternating current into direct current, according to PLN’s media release.

The current will then be converted into an alternating current again at an inverter station in Bogor, West Java.

In addition to the two stations, the project will also include the installation of a 500 kilo-volt (kV) submarine cable connecting Ketapang in Lampung and Salira in Banten. The cable will extend around 40 kilometers (km).

Part of funds required to run the project will come from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), while the remainder will be taken from PLN’s internal budget.

“PLN is currently trying to acquire lands for the project in South Sumatra, Lampung, Banten and West Java,” said PLN spokesperson Bambang Dwiyanto in the release.