T

he Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute (KEITI) has said it is considering building a 10 megawatt (MW) floating solar power plant (PLTS) on the waters of Lake Toba, North Sumatra.

The development of the US$200 million project is targeted to be finished in two years and start operating by March 2018.

The plan has received a warm welcome from environmental activists, local administrations and state-owned electricity company PLN, as it could generate additional electricity supply in the region.

Environmental activist Marandus Sirait of Toba Samosir said the planned development of the floating PLTS deserved support.

The recipient of the 2005 Kalpataru award said the floating PLTS would be designed to be environmentally friendly so as not to disturb the surrounding ecosystem.

Marandus said Lake Toba was suitable for PLTS development thanks to its abundant and under -utilized solar power potential.

“I agree with the development. This signals a positive future for electricity generation, because there will be no environmental damage,” Marandus told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

He added that the floating PLTS could also become a tourist attraction as it would be located on the renowned Lake Toba waters.

North Sumatra Governor Erry Nuradi also expressed his support, saying that as well as offering additional electricity supply to the region, the development of the PLTS had important value as the lake had been named a strategic area for national tourism development.

Erry said the provincial administration would help realize the planned development by, among other things, providing ease in the licensing documents needed by KEITI to develop the project.

KEITI’s senior advisor Kyung Nam Shin said that to implement the PLTS project, his organization would need support from the governor with regard to licensing and the environmental impact analysis (Amdal).

He said the project would be financed by Korean banks with a very low rate of interest.

“For the initial project we prepare $200 million and [the figure] can be increased further,” Kyun said at a meeting with Governor Erry Nuradi at the latter’s office on Tuesday.

Kyung said that KEITI would invite a subsidiary company of LG, namely LS IS, for the feasibility study of the project to be further distributed to the related parties including the North Sumatra administration by Jan. 15, 2017.

He said the construction work would be conducted from September 2017 to February 2018.

“By early March 2018 the floating PLTS of 10 megawatts capacity will already be operating commercially,” Kyun said, adding that the MoU between KEITI and PLN on the price of the electricity produced would be signed by February 2017.

PT PLN’s Region II North Sumatra’s general manager Agung Nugraha also warmly welcomed the plan.

He said electricity capacity in North Sumatra was currently 1,920 megawatts while the number of consumers was 3.2 million.