PLN Builds Rp431 Billion Submarine Cable

Batam, March 21(Antara) - State electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara is building submarine electric cable between neighboring islands of Batam-Bintan in the Riau Islands province.  

The project will cost an estimated Rp431 billion including Rp47.5 billion  for over land cable to the capital city of Tanjungpinang, PLN President Nur Pamudji said here on Thursday.

PLN cooperates with Viscas Corporation of Japan and PT Karya Mitra Nugraha in installing the submarine cables, Pamudji said.

The project to transmit power from Batam to Bintan, is expected to be completed in mid 2014 or 14 months after the signing of the contract.

Pamudji said building  the submarine cable is more efficient than building own power plant  on Bintan, as the power requirement on the island is relatively small.

Bintan needs only 43 megawatts of power in  day time  and a little more at night, he said. PLN  will buy the power from PLN Batam  its subsidiary on Batam to be distributed to Tanjungpinang on Bintan, only a few miles south of Singapore.

PLN Batam president Dadan Kurniadipura  said his company would build a number of power plants to  supply power to Bintan including a gas fired power plant at Tanjunguncang  with a capacity of 120 MW  and a coal fired power plant  at Tanjungkasam. (*/DWA)