Denmark eyes power projects

Denmark eyes power projects

JAKARTA (JP): Danish businesses want to cooperate with Indonesian partners in building small-scale power plants using natural gas and coal as energy sources, Danish Environment and Energy Minister Sven Auken said here yesterday.

"Denmark has much experience in small-scale power plant technology," Auken told reporters after meeting President Soeharto at the Merdeka Palace here.

He said that power plants with a capacity of between one megawatt (MW) and three MW may be built in areas where energy sources are limited.

He added that Denmark might help finance such small-scale projects in Indonesia.

Auken, who is on a one-week visit to Indonesia, said such power plants are not expensive and better for the environment.

He said he would hold further discussions with Indonesian Minister of Mines and Energy I.B. Sudjana about the projects.

He also said that Denmark, which currently imports coal from South Africa, Columbia and the Netherlands, is considering the possibility of importing coal from Indonesia.

Indonesia, which produced 35 million tons of coal in 1994, exported 28 million tons in the same year.

Meanwhile, State Minister of Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, who accompanied Auken in his meeting with Soeharto yesterday, said Indonesia was impressed with the small-scale power plant technology introduced by Denmark.

Indonesia plans to build power plants with a total capacity of 25,000 MW over the next 12 years. (04)