TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsBatang Toru hydropower plant fast-tracked to stabilize Sumatra’s fragile grid
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Construction proceeds on the Batang Toru hydroelectric power plant (PLTA) in North Sumatra. (Antara/Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources)
T
he government is accelerating the operational launch of the 510-megawatt Batang Toru hydroelectric power plant to reinforce Sumatra’s electricity system, which remains under strain following a hydrological disaster that toppled five transmission towers in November last year.
The initial construction of the plant in South Tapanuli regency, North Sumatra, has faced international opposition due to the project’s potential threat to the endangered Tapanuli orangutan, whose habitat lies close to the construction site.
Read also: Controversial power plant project's permit revoked after Sumatra floods
Deputy Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Yuliot visited the site of the National Strategic Project on Thursday. The facility being developed by PT North Sumatera Hydro Energy (NSHE) is now viewed as indispensable for shoring up the island’s electricity supply.
“This is our effort to accelerate national energy supply and reliability. The energy situation in Sumatra, in particular, is quite critical, so we need to anticipate [disruption risks],” Yuliot said in a statement issued on Friday. “With the limited availability of other primary energy sources, we already have the Batang Toru plant, which can be on-grid.”
The collapse of the transmission towers last year inflicted significant damage on grid infrastructure, hampering the distribution of electricity across the island.
The energy ministry is overseeing the effort to build replacement towers and structures, an effort that remains in the design phase for now.
