The government is to build a micro hydro power plant (PLTMH) Kali Ombak in Maybrat District, West Papua Province, as part of the program to provide renewable energy.
This infrastructure development could be felt directly by people living in remote and outermost islands, Coordinator of Planning and Procurement of EBTKE (new energy, renewable energy and energy conservation) Infrastructure Development at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources I Gede Yudistira Kusuma stated.
“The program of activities that benefit the community concerning renewable energy is a commitment from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and local governments,” he noted in a statement here on Friday.
The groundbreaking event for the project’s implementation was held on April 12, 2022.
The planned Kali Ombak PLTMH is expected to have an installed capacity of 35 kilowatts to electrify 55 houses in Kampung Seni, Kampung Kurasso, and Kampung Ossom as well as several public facilities, such as churches, schools, teachers’ homes, health centers, and halls.
Kusuma lauded the support of the Maybrat regional government and the West Papua provincial government as well as sub-district heads and the entire community.
The official expressed optimism that the infrastructure could be managed and maintained by the local government and community, so that the benefits can be felt by the community in the long term.
Maybrat District Head Bernard Sagrim emphasized that the PLTMH development is the government’s commitment to implementing policies that cater to the needs of the community, especially basic infrastructure to meet the electricity needs.
Indonesia has applied the technology of MHP, a power plant driven by hydraulic power of water, for decades in various parts of the country, he noted.
The electricity needs of three villages in South Mare Sub-district have, so far, been supported by generators using diesel.
The villagers are immensely grateful for the PLTMH development program and welcome them, as they will get electricity for free.
Kurasso Village Chief Marcus Yewen expressed optimism that the MHP once operational would illuminate his area.
Source: Antara News