"This dam can function as a power plant. It can produce 0.40 megawatts (of power). So in the future, Banten province could also use it," said Widodo while inaugurating operations at the dam on Thursday. Construction of the dam began in 2015.
The President said that developing dams as power plants is important as Indonesia is striving to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.
“Because this can be a hydropower plant later," the Head of State said.
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On the other hand, the dam could even be used as a conservation area and tourist destination, he observed.
The President asked all parties to support conservation efforts around the reservoir so that the water level can continue to increase every year.
"And of course as I saw earlier, this could be a new tourist destination in Banten and might also attract tourists from other provinces outside Banten," he remarked.
The government has constructed a number of dams and reservoirs across the country to supply water for irrigation and to support hydropower plants.
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Translator: Fardah Assegaf
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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