"Our target is that the PLTA Peusangan is to be operational in June 2022," General Manager of the Sumatra unit of the state-owned electric company PT PLN Weddy B Sudirman said when inspecting the project on Friday.
Weddy said implementation of the project had been hampered by a number of problems from conflict, earthquake, and land clearing.
The project has been under construction since 1998, but work stopped on Aceh conflict, followed by big earthquake toward the end of 2004 that the engineering plan has to be reviewed.
"We have to review development of the PLTA after the quake as most of the development is underground. We redesigned development and work resumed in 2011," Weddy said.
He said PLTA Peusangan will have two generators - the first underground and the second unit on the ground surface. The water to move the turbine is from Lake Laut Tawar through the Krueng Peusangan river.
In addition to earthquake, and non technical problems, construction of the PLTA Peusangan also had been hampered by inadequate access and land clearing as the local people used the land after long being idle.
"Even now there are still people claiming ownership of the land although they already received compensation payment. It is impossible for us to pay them again," Weddy said.
When the PLTA has been operational, 12 MW of the output would be supplied to the local people and the rest for the power relay station in Bireuen,to be channeled to the subsystem of the Sumatra electric networks.
The cost of the project is estimated to reach Rp4 trillion, Weddy, said, adding, 80 percent of the cost was in loan from Japan, and 20 percent from PLN.
"The PLTA Peusangan is expected to help boost economic development in this area. Hopefully the project could be completed as scheduled," Weddy B Sudirman said.
Reporting by M.Haris Setiady Agus
Editing by A Saragih
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
