Medco to build geothermal plant

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.