"These geothermal projects are meant to boost the national energy security program," Corporate Secretary of PGE Tafif Azimudin said here Wednesday.
The three geothermal plants are Unit 3 in Ulubelu, Lampung, with a capacity of 55MW, the Lahendong Unit 5 in North Sulawesi with a capacity of 55MW, and the Karaha Unit 1 in West Java with a capacity of 55MW.
The Ulubelu unit 3 is scheduled to operate in August 2016 in accordance with the commercial operation date (COD).
Meanwhile, the Lahendong unit 5 and the Karaha unit 1 are scheduled to begin operations in December 2016.
"The total additional capacity installed in these geothermal plants is 160MW. Currently, the installed capacity of geothermal power plants managed by PGE is 437MW," Tafif said.
PGE has also completed the exploratory drilling of wells in these geothermal power plants. The drilling consists of two wells in Ulubelu unit 3, two wells in Lahendong unit 5, and three wells in Karaha unit 1.
The operations at these geothermal power plants are expected to increase Pertaminas geothermal power production.
Through 2015, Pertaminas geothermal production amounted to 3056.82 gigawatt-hours (GWh), increasing at 2831.40 GWh as compared to 2014.
Data obtained from Pertamina showed that in the first quarter of 2016 Pertaminas geothermal production reached 761.51 GWh, up 6.3 percent, as compared to that of the same period last year.
From January to April 2016, the operational expenses decreased to US$3.1 per ton compared to that in 2015, when it was $3.7 per ton.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2016
