Supporting Food and Water Security in Gorontalo, Brantas Abipraya Accelerates Bulango Ulu Dam Construction

PT Brantas Abipraya (Persero) is accelerating the completion of the Bulango Ulu Dam in Bone Bolango Regency, Gorontalo Province, which is designated as a National Strategic Project (PSN). Brantas Abipraya Corporate Secretary Dian Sovana explained that construction progress has currently reached 94.99 percent. ‘The Bulango Ulu Dam is projected to become vital infrastructure in supporting food security, water security, flood control, and the provision of renewable energy in Gorontalo,’ said Dian. As the implementing contractor, Brantas Abipraya remains committed to completing the dam’s construction in accordance with quality, safety, and good governance standards to support the national development agenda and realise food and water security. Dian emphasised that the construction of the Bulango Ulu Dam is a tangible manifestation of the state-owned construction company’s contribution to delivering infrastructure that directly impacts community welfare. ‘Through the acceleration of its completion, we hope this dam can increase agricultural productivity, guarantee water availability, support renewable energy, and drive economic growth for the people of Gorontalo,’ Dian stated. The Bulango Ulu Dam has a storage capacity of 140.95 million cubic metres with an effective volume of 58.61 million cubic metres. Once operational, the dam will irrigate approximately 4,950 hectares of agricultural land through the Alale, Lomaya, and Pilohayanga Irrigation Areas, thereby supporting increased productivity in Gorontalo’s agricultural sector. Additionally, the dam will supply 2.2 cubic metres per second of raw water for household and industrial needs. Beyond supporting the food sector, the presence of the Bulango Ulu Dam is also projected to reduce flood risk in the downstream area of the Bolango River by more than 80 percent, while simultaneously generating environmentally friendly electricity through a Micro-hydro Power Plant (PLTMH) with a capacity of 4.96 Megawatts. The dam’s reservoir area also has the potential to be developed into a tourist destination and water sports centre that can stimulate the local economy. From a technical perspective, the project is built using vertical core rockfill dam technology, equipped with a spillway, diversion tunnel, and high-standard hydromechanical facilities. The construction innovation applied even earned a MURI Record for the steepest and widest Free Over Flow Elevated spillway tunnel in Indonesia.