wiredinUSA April 2014

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wiredInUSA - April 2014 41
Indonesian state-owned electricity company
PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) will spend
$5.24 billion on improving power transmission
facilities in Sumatra.
Minister for state-owned enterprises Dahlan
Iskan confirmed that PLN will work on the
project with other five state-owned firms.
Sumatra has, for years, experienced frequent
blackouts due to the island’s inadequate
power facilities.
“We will have further meetings about the
project. The idea is how to build transmission
from electricity-surplus areas in southern
Sumatra to the north,” said M Aprindy,
corporate secretary of PT Adhi Karya, one of
the partner companies.
Details of the scaleof the transmission network
have not been confirmed.
PLN’s operations director for Java, Bali and
Sumatra, IGN Adnyana said the Medan area
in North Sumatra suffers electricity supply
shortages; demand for electricity in the area
reaches 1,700MW during peak hours while
the supply is only 1,450MW.
“Currently a number of power plants are
under construction in Palembang [South
Sumatra], which will be completed by
2016. When the plants are completed, the
transmission network will help the north of
the island. The transmission network will be a
long-term plan,” he said.
PLN’sdirector forconstruction,Nasri Sebayang
has said that the company is looking at 25
projects to be completed this year under a
fast-track program, offering a total capacity
of 3,539MW.
ASIA / AFRICA NEWS
Sumatran grid improvements