BANDUNG, August 2 (EngineeringDaily) -- Indonesian state-owned company PT PLN continues to spur the development of the country’s electricity infrastructure to meet growing electricity demands and to sustain economic growth. One of the company’s latest projects is a plan to build a power grid of 500 kilovolts (kV) along the eastern side of Sumatra. This extra high voltage transmission network will be called Sumatra’s “electric expressway.”
For the initial construction, PLN will build five the 500 kV transmission segment over a five-step process: Segment of New AurDuri to border of Jambi and Riau Province (Lot-1), Segment of New AurDuri to border of Jambi and Riau Province (Lot-2), Segment of border of Jambi and Riau Province to Rengat, Segment of Rengat to New Garuda Sakti (Lot-1), Segment of Rengat to New Garuda Sakti (Lot-2).
The completed project will stretch 360 km from Aur Duri in Jambi Province north to Garuda Sakti in Riau Province. The construction is set to begin in late 2014 and targeted for operations starting in 2017.
The transmission network will distribute electricity from several nearby power plants currently under construction. The affected facilities are the Jambi power plant with a capacity of 2x400 megawatt (MW), South Sumatra 6 power plant with capacity of 2x300 MW, and South Sumatra 7 power plant with capacity of 2x150 MW.
Currently, PLN has an open invitation for construction companies to enter the pre-qualification round for the first phase of the project consisting of the five work packages. This invitation is open to local and national developers who are competent in the construction of high-voltage electricity transmission.
PLN expects the project to drive both local and national industries in infrastructure and electricity because of the necessity of 80 to 90% local labor.
The Sumatra 500 kV transmission project is the first transmission project to utilize full financing and development carried out by the developer, PLN. After the project is completed, PLN will continue to maintain the system for up to a period of 12 years.
According to PLN's plan, following the completion of the first phase, construction of the second phase will commence in 2016 to extend the network farther south from Aur Duri to Muaraenim in South Sumatra. For the third and final stage, PLN will add additional lines to continue the transmission network north from Garuda Sakti to Medan, completing a full network connecting the northern and southern sides of the island.
If all phases of construction are completed as planned by 2020, the “Electricity Expressway” in Sumatra will link Muara Enim in South Sumatra to Medan in North Sumatra, providing the entire island with direct access to energy sources.
