Siemens to construct railway in Riau<\/p>\n
Arya Abhiseka and
\nHaidir Anwar Tanjung
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nPekanbaru<\/p>\n
The Riau provincial government plans to allocate Rp 10
\ntrillion (US$1.1 billion) for the construction of a railway
\nconnecting the oil-rich province and neighboring provinces.<\/p>\n
Head of the province's investment promotion board Harliyan
\nSaleh said the 1,350 kilometer-long railway would connect all
\nregencies in the province and some areas in West and North
\nSumatra.<\/p>\n
\"The project, which will begin to materialize soon, is the
\nresult of the visit by the Riau provincial government to the head
\noffice of Siemens in Germany some time ago,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Julieta F. Glasmacher of PT Siemens Indonesia told
\nThe Jakarta Post on Thursday that her company, representing the
\nSiemens' head office in Germany, had recently visited Riau to
\nlook into the possibility of construction.<\/p>\n
\"At the moment, a feasibility study is still being carried out
\nby the Riau provincial government,\" she said.<\/p>\n
The initial railway construction will connect the Riau
\nprovince's cargo shipping port in Dumai and Rantau Prapat city in
\nNorth Sumatra, a stretch of more than 225 kilometers.<\/p>\n
Harliyan added that the people of Riau would be immensely
\nbenefited by the establishment of the railway, which would
\ntransport many commodities from local plantations, such as rubber
\nand palm oil.<\/p>\n
\"Considering the wide range of plantations that the province
\nhas, rail transportation will be very crucial for the development
\nof Riau's agriculture, manufacturing and mining,\" he said.<\/p>\n
As the industry grows, the province also expects a large
\npopulation growth. The railways can thus be utilized for public
\ntransportation.<\/p>\n
\"In the future, we plan to use the railroads for passenger
\ntrains,\" said Harliyan.<\/p>\n
In addition, the provincial government of Riau also plans to
\nbuild a toll road, connecting Dumai and Pekanbaru, the capital of
\nRiau.<\/p>\n
Siemens has been operating in Indonesia for around 50 years
\nand is more commonly associated with mobile phones and
\nelectronics.<\/p>\n
Aside from building the railroad, Herliyan said that the
\nGerman engineering giant had also put forward a bid to establish
\na coal-fired power plant in an effort to meet the power demands
\nin Riau.<\/p>\n
Harliyan explained that Riau's demand for power was quite high
\nas industries are expanding.<\/p>\n
\"There are still many industries in the province that do not
\nreceive adequate power, while a coal-fired plant is a suitable
\noption because it costs less than an oil power plant,\" Herliyan
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"Besides, we believe that (the regencies of) Cerenti and
\nIndragiri Hulu alone still have coal reserves that can generate
\nabout 6,000 megawatts of electricity, which could last for
\nanother century.<\/p>\n
\"In Rokan Hulu there is also enough coal reserves to produce
\nabout 5,000 megawatts of electricity,\" Herliyan said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/siemens-to-construct-railway-in-riau-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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