ADB to Funnel $500 m for RI Geothermal Power Plants

Indonesia will receive a US$500 million (Rp 4.4 trillion) loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to build three geothermal-fired power plants with a total capacity of 165 megawatts, a senior official says. 

The secretary to the alternative and renewable energy and energy conservation director general at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, Djajang Sukarna, said Wednesday that the power plants would be constructed in Sungaipenuh in Jambi, Karaha in West Java and Mataloko in East Nusa Tenggara.

“We’ll sign the deal in late 2011 and start construction of the power plants next year,” he said on the sidelines of a meeting with ADB and the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) in Jakarta.

He said Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE), a subsidiary of state oil and gas firm Pertamina, would handle the upstream operation at the Sungaipenuh power plant, while state electricity company PT PLN would handle the downstream operation.

“At the Karaha power plant, all businesses will be operated by PGE. For the Mataloko plant, PLN will take full control,” said Djajang.