Bali begins discussions on Nusa Penida ocean current power plant potential

Denpasar (ANTARA) - The Bali Provincial Government has begun discussing the potential development of an Ocean Current Power Plant (PLTAL) in the Nusa Penida Strait area.

“I have taken note of the idea, and this is indeed something we greatly need. It turns out we have enormous potential, and we must make use of it as a source of livelihood for the people of Bali,” said Bali Governor Wayan Koster in Denpasar on Friday.

Wayan Koster raised the PLTAL proposal during a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) on the Implementation of Marine Spatial Planning Based on New and Renewable Energy (EBT). The idea was conceived together with the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, through a study conducted by the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) under the coordination of Professor Dwi Susanto of the University of Maryland, which identified marine renewable energy potential through PLTAL.

Governor Koster said that Bali must be energy independent and not depend on energy supplies from outside the province.

This is all the more pressing as energy consumption in Bali continues to rise every year due to growth in industry and tourism.

“Bali must be energy independent by making use of clean and renewable energy,” he said.

Bali’s electricity demand currently stands at around 1,300 MW to 1,400 MW, of which 400 MW still depends on the undersea cable interconnection network from the Paiton Steam Power Plant (PLTU) in East Java.

To that end, the Bali Provincial Government is undertaking various efforts to advance the vision of an Energy-Independent Bali through the use of Clean and Renewable Energy, as mandated by Bali Governor Regulation Number 45 of 2019 on Bali Clean Energy.