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Bright Indonesia program set Papua, W. Papua as priorities
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Power source: A state electricity firm PLN technician inspects equipment at the Mampang Dua power relay station in Jakarta. Indonesia expects to increase its electrification rate to 97 percent by 2019 from 85 percent last year.
(Antara/Widodo S. Jusuf)
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span ms="" trebuchet="">The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry and state-owned electricity company PLN are working to jointly map electricity needs in Papua and West Papua provinces in an effort to realize the ministry’s Indonesia Terang (Bright Indonesia) project by 2019.
The ministry’s new and renewable energy director general, Rida Mulyana, said on Tuesday the mapping would help both entities set priorities in the procurement of electricity in the easternmost provinces
“We have done a lot of studies and held discussions with PLN in both provinces. After the mapping, we will immediately procure electricity there,” he said.
With the program, Indonesia expects to increase its electrification rate to 97 percent over the next three years from 85 percent in 2015.
Currently, Papua’s electrification ratio is only 45.93 percent while West Papua’s is 82.7 percent.
While working for Papua and West Papua, Rida said the ministry and PLN were also studying other provinces as previously planned in the Bright Indonesia program. The program previously stalled for months due to budget cuts in the revised 2016 state budget, as well as a Cabinet reshuffle, which saw a change in the position of energy and mineral resources minister from Sudirman Said to Ignasius Djonan.
However, Rida ensured that the ministry would continue the program, which is expected to electrify 12,659 remote villages, mostly in eastern Indonesia, through new and renewable energy sources. Aside from Papua and West Papua, electricity will be procured for Maluku, West Maluku, East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara, as stipulated in the latest plan. (adt/hwa)
