The government has a program to build new power plants with a total capacity of 35,000 MW until 2019 to cope with shortage in power supply in the country mainly in the region.
"I will slaughter a goat if the project is completed as scheduled," Executive Director of the Indonesian Energy Watch Ferdinand Hutahaean said here on Wednesday.
One of the weaknesses in the implementation of the project is the way the National Power Utility PLN looking for investors to build power plants, Ferdinand said.
PLN has so far stuck to the conventional pre qualification system , which is a time consuming process of finding the right investors, he said.
He said PLN could use the system of "beauty contest" which takes much shorter time but no less effective in finding quality investors.
In addition, PLN has weak working team which is slow in preparing document for tender data, for which they have to spend up to three years, he said.
"The government in this case PLN as the executor has failed to adopt a system, which in my opinion would allow it to meet the target for the project, he said.
Meanwhile lawmaker Ramson Siagian of the Commission VII of the House of Representatives said he predicted the government could meet only 16,000 MW of the target of 35,000 MW.
There are still many projects left idle in various areas, Ramson said, adding ironically many data did not reflect the real condition .
He cited in Bengkulu, the Commission VII found what was reported as power project was only empty land , saying even the road to that location was badly damaged.
A member of the National Energy Council (DEN) Rinaldy Dalimi said the main problem faced by PLN is land clearing .
Rinaldy said it would be good if only half of the target could be met .
Earlier PLN said development of the 35,000 megawatt power generating project is progressing as scheduled although after two years , no major project has been completed.
"The development is progressing and PLN is preparing the signing of Power Purchase Agreements with second group of Independent Power Producers (IPP)," PLN chief executive Sofyan Baasyir said.
Under the second phase of PPA there would be an additional power generating capacity of 15,000 MW - 16,000 MW from new power plants to be built by IPP, Sofyan said.
Separately Coordinating Minister fro Maritime Affairs and Natural Resources Luhut Binsar Panjaitan said he saw progress in the implementation of one of the most ambitious programs of the present government.
However, what is more important of the 35,000 ME power generating program is how much of it could come to reality in 2019, Luhut said.
"As it is impossible to finish the 35,000 MW power project by 2019. In my opinion, it would be very good if only we could have additional capacity of 20,000 MW-25,000 MW by 2019 with the rest under construction," he said. (*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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