ChevronTexaco to build plant in Java

ChevronTexaco to build plant in Java

JAKARTA: Amoseas Indonesia Inc. said on Friday that it will build a third geothermal electricity generating plant in West Java, scheduled to start operations early in 2006.

The Indonesian unit of the U.S.'s ChevronTexaco Corp. said the new 100-megawatt plant, called Darajat Unit III, will be located adjacent to the existing Darajat Unit II situated near Garut.

Amoseas acts as an operator of the electricity plants under a contract with state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina. Electricity from the new unit will be sold to state-owned electricity utility PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara, which already buys power from the two existing units.

The Darajat plants tap geothermal energy from a young volcano in West Java. The volcano is part of the "Ring of Fire," the world's most active volcanic zone, which in part stretches along the southern coast of Sumatra and Java. -- Dow Jones