goodmorningpapua.com – PT PLN (Persero) claims the electrification ratio of Papua and West Papua has reached 95.62 percent with a total of 7,036 villages that have received electricity. The majority of electricity that flows to villages in the two provinces also comes from solar power.
Syamsul Huda, a Regional Business Director for Sulawesi, Maluku, Papua, and Nusa Tenggara PLN, said that during 2016-2020, his institution succeeded to electrify 807 villages with a total of 38,000 customers in Papua and West Papua.
“To bring electricity to 807 villages, PLN has spent an investment of IDR 2.03 trillion, or the equivalent of IDR 53.6 million, to electrify each customer. The addition also makes the ratio of electrified villages in Papua and West Papua increase to 95.62%, so that now, a total of 7,036 villages there have electricity,” he said, quoted from the official PLN website, Monday (19/7/2021).
Syamsul said, PLN continues to strive for 328 villages in Papua and West Papua to be immediately electrified in order to achieve the electrification ratio target of 100 percent in accordance with the assignment from the government.
The plan, said Syamsul, is that 32 villages will use Solar Power Plants (PLTS), while 285 villages will use solar electricity through Electric Energy Charging Stations (SPEL) and Electric Power Distribution Equipment (APdal), since they are in the difficult locations to reach and far from the Existing grid.
“We will electrify the remaining 9 villages through the expansion of the Existing electricity network, and 2 villages using the PLTS hybrid Diesel Power Plant [PLTD] by utilizing existing machines,” he said.
In addition to focusing on electrifying secluded villages, PLN has also strengthened the electricity system for Papua and West Papua. Until now, the capable capacity of the two provinces has reached 454 MW with the highest load of 299 MW, so that PLN has a power reserve of 155 MW which is ready to be maximized.
“We are ready and invite investors to enter and invest in Papua and West Papua. We continue to do the availability of power supply from generators and strengthen the network to generate electricity,” he explained.