Medco to build geothermal plant

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

Medco Holding plans to build a geothermal power plant in Tangkuban Perahu, 29 kilometers north of West Java's capital of Bandung, with a capacity of between 10 and 20 Megawatts.

Medco Holding's director Yani Panigoro said that with 12 cauldrons, Mount Tangkuban Perahu has huge reserves of geothermal potential and they plan to build a power plant there.

"We are still calculating the investment. We want the construction of the power plant to start at the latest mid next year," she told reporters after a seminar on alternative energy at the Bandung Institute of Technology on Wednesday.

Data from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources put Tangkuban Perahu, long known as a tourist destination, as one of 13 investment-potential geothermal sources in Indonesia. The other 12 cauldrons are scattered in various parts of Sumatra and Java islands.

Yani said that her company was not interested in developing the geothermal power plant at Mount Kamojang, that could potentially generate 14.2 kilowatts of power for Bandung and Garut areas, because it would require a long lead time and a huge investment.

Medco is currently conducting a feasibility study for the Tangkuban Perahu power plant.

The company has 14 oil and gas blocks in Indonesia and 16 offshore rigs. Its total oil production stands at 30 million barrels per year while its gas output totals 90 million standard cubic feet per day.