JAKARTA, Indonesia 3/23/12 (PennWell) -- Three new hydropower plants representing an investment of US $2.91 billion will be constructed in Indonesia, sources say.
The three hydroelectric facilities will be "huge investments" and will be given to private developers, according to Nur Pramudji, president of Indonesia's Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN).
The first -- called the Karama power plant -- will be a 450-MW, $1.2 billion project in the country's West Sulawesi province. It will be constructed by PT Sulbar Group and China Gezhoumba group.
The second will be constructed by PT Kerinci Hydro Energy with a 450-MW capacity and a $510 million price tag. It will be in Kerini, Jambi Province.
The third, Batang Toru, will have a 500-MW capacity and an estimated total investment of $1.2 billion. Operational Cooporationi Dharma Hydro (KSO) has been awarded its contract.
The decision to construct the three new plants is one of several hydroelectric ones made by PLN in recent months. The state-owned utility announced in March that it has signed power purchase agreements with 130 small hydropower plants, and it announced the identification of 96 potential hydropower sites in January.
