Bukaka builds hydropower plant in Poso to boost power supply
Bukaka builds hydropower plant in Poso to boost power supply
Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post/Palu, Central Sulawesi
The Bukaka Group has built a US$230 million hydropower plant in
Sulewana village, North Pamona district in the troubled Poso
regency, Central Sulawesi, in an effort to overcome an
electricity shortage in the province.
The hydropower plant, which is scheduled to start operations
in April 2007, will have a capacity of 180,000 megawatts, enough
to fulfill electricity needs in Central Sulawesi as well as a
part of South Sulawesi, Gorontalo and parts of North Sulawesi.
"We may even be able to meet electricity demand for the whole
island of Sulawesi," said PT Bukaka Hydropower project director
Heru Husaini on Thursday.
The company, owned by the family of Vice President Jusuf
Kalla, claimed that once the power plant was operational, it
would be the second biggest in the country after the Asahan
hydropower plant in North Sumatra.
Acting Poso Regent Andi Azikin Suyuti said Bukaka's investment
in the regency was expected to wipe out negative sentiment from
investors that Central Sulawesi -- and Poso in particular -- was
not attractive for investment.
"Bukaka can invest here (in Poso) and nothing has happened
thus far. The government and security apparatus here have pledged
to safeguard investments here, so investors have nothing to worry
about," he said.
In the 1980s, a Canadian company had proposed to build a
hydropower plant in Lore Lindo, but the plan was aborted due to
protests from locals who feared that the plant would damage the
nearby Lore Lindo National Park and that they would be evicted
from their homes.
The cancellation of the project resulted in Central Sulawesi
suffering a chronic power shortage for many years. The state
electricity company PT PLN and local administrations have had to
overcome the problem by buying and renting generators to provide
power.
"Therefore, we hope the Sulewana hydropower plant will answer
doubts from local and global investors on infrastructure
availability in the province and they will put their money here,"
said Central Sulawesi's Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and
Industry deputy chairman Arus Abdul Karim.