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Papua, West Papua will see twofold increase in electricity capacity by 2019
The construction of six electricity projects worth Rp 988 billion (US$75.64 million) in Papua and West Papua will lead the country’s easternmost provinces to enjoy a twofold increase in their electricity capacity by 2019, a top official has said.
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Upbeat: President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo (second right), accompanied by Papua Governor Lukas Enembe (second left), State Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno (right) and state electricity firm PLN president director Sofyan Basir, inaugurates six electricity facilities in Jayapura, Papua, on Oct.17. (Antara/Indrayadi TH)
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he construction of six electricity projects worth Rp 988 billion (US$75.64 million) in Papua and West Papua will lead the country’s easternmost provinces to enjoy a twofold increase in their electricity capacity by 2019, a top official has said.
State electricity firm PLN president director Sofyan Basri said Papua and West Papua had a total power capacity of 294 Megawatts (MW) with a peak load of 242 MW, an average peak load growth of 8 percent per year, and customer numbers reaching 521,000.
“With the completion of these projects, the electricity capacity in Papua and West Papua will increase twofold by 2019 and PLN is ready to make the 2020 National Games [PON] in Papua successful,” he said after the inauguration ceremony of the six electricity projects by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Monday.
First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo, Papua Governor Lukas Enembe and State Enterprises Minister Rini M.Soemarno attended the event held at PLN’s electrical relay station in Kampung Nendali, Sentani, Jayapura, Papua.
Apart from the six projects, Sofyan said, PLN still had some targets it must achieve to expand people’s access to electricity.
They include expanding the company’s electricity coverage of 14 regency capitals with PLN electricity access across Papua and West Papua by 2017, providing electricity for all district capitals in the two provinces by 2019, increasing electricity operational hours in villages to 24 hours a day by 2019 and providing electricity access for people in the outermost islands and border areas also by 2019. (ebf)
