Mount Salak sets momentum for geothermal station<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Gunung Salak in West Java is setting the
\nmomentum for the accelerated development of geothermal resources
\nin Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Two new geothermal power stations at Mount Salak with a
\ncombined capacity of 110 megawatts (MW), and one with 55v MW at
\nMount Darajat, about 80 kilometers southeast of Salak, are to be
\ndedicated by President Soeharto today.<\/p>\n
An additional capacity of 220 MW is in the pipeline at the
\nSalak power complex.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's geothermal resources are, in fact, large and well
\ndistributed. The high volcanic activity in the country, allowing
\nmagma to ventilate towards the earth surface and the high average
\nannual precipitation, gives place to many exploitable geothermal
\nresources in the form of high pressure underground reservoirs of
\nhot water and steam.<\/p>\n
Surveys conducted by the government along the volcanic belt
\nhave assessed a geothermal potentials up to 15,000 MW, probably
\nthe largest in the world.<\/p>\n
Detailed prospecting and inventories of promising areas show
\nan immediate availability of 1,400 MW and a total of 4,000 MW in
\nthe medium term.<\/p>\n
Since geothermal constitutes a clean, environmentally viable
\nand alternative source of energy it has been given high priority.<\/p>\n
However, geothermal electricity, unlike electricity from
\nfossil fuels, cannot be ordered: it must be developed. A
\ngeothermal field must be discovered, tested and developed in
\norder to produce power.<\/p>\n
Attention to geothermal energy in Indonesia has a long
\nhistory. As early as 1918, on the basis of the successes already
\nachieved in Italy with the exploitation of this source, proposals
\nwere made by Z.F. van Dijk to explore geothermal energy in
\nKamojang, West Java.<\/p>\n
But, it was only in 1926-1928 that five shallow exploration
\nwells were drilled at Kamojang by the Netherlands West Indies
\nVolcanological Survey.<\/p>\n
First plant<\/p>\n
The state oil and gas company Pertamina, in cooperation with
\nGeothermal Energy New Zealand Ltd., drilled 15 wells in Kamojang
\nfrom 1974 to 1979 and the state electricity company PLN completed
\nthe construction of the country's first commercial geothermal
\npower plant in 1983 with a capacity of 30 MW at Kamojang financed
\nby the New Zealand government.<\/p>\n
Then in 1988 Pertamina and PLN expanded its capacity to 140
\nMW, with the Word Bank financing. In parallel, a second major
\ngeothermal development was started in the Gunung Salak area.<\/p>\n
Since 1982, Unocal of the United States, in a joint venture
\nwith Pertamina, invested in the development of the steam field of
\nGunung Salak and started the setting of exploratory wells in the
\narea and the construction of infrastructure.<\/p>\n
The Salak geothermal reservoir is of the \"liquid dominated
\ntype\" which means that the geothermal fluid coming up the wells
\nis a mixture of water and steam at a pressure of eight bars and a
\ntemperature of 280 degrees. The gas content is minimal, so is the
\ncontent of minerals: which are both good features.<\/p>\n
The wells feeding the mixture of steam and water to the power
\nplant total nine, scattered over a wide area. A network of
\npipelines, the gathering system, conveys the geothermal fluid to
\nthe power plant site, where the steam is separated from the water
\nin special separators, before entering the turbines.<\/p>\n
The financing for the construction of the power plant for PLN
\nwas eventually made available through a soft loan from the
\nItalian government in 1990 which covered the whole foreign costs
\nof the plant.<\/p>\n
Ansaldo<\/p>\n
A contract was awarded by PLN to Ansaldo Energia, the main
\nItalian contractor and manufacturer for power generation, for the
\nconstruction and supply of the power plant on a turn-key basis.
\nThe power plant consists of two units each with 55 MW, and was
\nbuilt according to the most updated technology in this field.<\/p>\n
The turbines are of the highly efficient impulse type, single
\ncylinder, double flow, manufactured using special steel which is
\nsuitable in a corrosive environment. The plant automation is
\nhighly sophisticated: the control and supervisory system of the
\npower plant is based on microprocessor technology with a
\ndistribution architecture and is equipped with an advanced
\noperator interface.<\/p>\n
The switchgear is of the gas insulated type, highly compact,
\nparticularly suitable for space and environmental conditions. The
\ncondensers, of Ansaldo design, were fabricated by PT Barata.
\nBarata was also the mechanical erector.<\/p>\n
The first 55 MW unit has been in full commercial operation
\nsince June 1994 and the second 55 MW unit since August 1994. The
\nactual power output is 117 MW, exceeding the 110 MW guaranteed.<\/p>\n
The future development in the Salak area will be the extension
\nof the present plant with one more unit -- unit no. 3 with 55 MW,
\nfor which a new contract will be awarded by PLN to Ansaldo,
\nbringing the capacity of the power plant to 165 MW. The financing
\nof this unit will be derived from an Italian export credit.<\/p>\n
Total project<\/p>\n
In addition, a new power plant in the same area comprising
\nunit four, five and six for an additional 165 MW, will be built
\nas private power by Unocal and Pertamina with the total project
\nconcept under the build, operate and transfer scheme.<\/p>\n
By 1997 the Salak area will produce 330 MW and will become one
\nof the largest geothermal fields in the world.<\/p>\n
It is worthwhile mentioning that the industrial activity in
\ngeothermal sector had its origins in Italy. The harnessing of
\nendogenous steam for production of mechanical energy at the
\ngeothermal field of Larderello dates back to 1894 and the
\nelectrical power production from the first steam turbine-
\ngenerator unit with a capacity of 250 kilowatts started in 1913.<\/p>\n
According to the records of the Italian State Electricity
\nBoard, which is also responsible of the geothermal fields, the
\ncapacity of the plants operating in Italy (39 units), is about
\n900 MW.<\/p>\n
Ansaldo Energia has furnished the equipment for all geothermal
\npower plants in Italy since 1913 until today, establishing a
\nworld record of more than 70 years of experience in the very
\nspecialized field of geothermal turbines. (vin)<\/p>",
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