Saguling Hydroelectric Power Plant Supports Peak Load of Java-Bali System, Says Official

MINISTRY OF ENERGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES

REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA

PRESS RELEASE

NUMBER: 329.Pers/04/SJI/2021

Date: 17 September 2021

Saguling Hydroelectric Power Plant Supports Peak Load of Java-Bali System, Says Official

The 4x175.18 MW Saguling hydroelectric power plant occupies a significant role in the electricity system, that is, it supports the peak load of the Java-Bali System and regulates the system's frequency via Load Frequency Control (LFC), Director of Electricity Techniques and Environment of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (EMR), Wanhar, has said when escorting a team from Commission VII of the House of Representatives (DPR) in a Specific Work Visit to the power plant on Thursday (16/9). The Saguling hydroelectric power plant is located in West Bandung Regency, West Java Province.

"In case of black out, Saguling can be operated as a black start unit, and it can produce the voltage to support the Suralaya coal-fired power plant," said Wanhar.

Wanhar went on to explain the three functions of Saguling, namely as a baseload plant, stabilizer, and to reduce emissions because it uses new, renewable energy.

"Most importantly, this is the power plant of the future, because we can combine it with solar photovoltaic (PV) on its reservoir," said Wanhar.

Wanhar's statement was in a similar vein to the presentations given by PT PLN (Persero)'s Business Director for Java, Madura, Bali Regions Haryanto WS and President Director of PT Indonesia Power Ahsin Sidqi.

The government has continued to promote the development of new, renewable energy to meet the 23% target of renewable energy by 2025. Saguling contributes 2% of the total hydro power generation (4.53%) and is connected to the 500 kV Java-Bali power grid system.

On the same occasion, Deputy Chair of Commission VII of DPR Maman Abdurrahman said the work visit was aimed to perform the constitutional duty of monitoring.

"I want to build a new paradigm or point of view on monitoring. Previously, it was a symbolic act, now it is a problem solver. All state ministries have problems. We're here at Commission VII to eliminate bottlenecks. If you have any concerns, please talk to us. That's our spirit, so we can be on the same frequency," said Maman.

Commission VII Member Tifatul Sembiring expressed his concern about the security aspect in Saguling.

"I think electricity is not only a matter of how to lower the water to turn a turbine and generate electricity, but there is also the weed issue. How you ensure (supply) never stops. The Saguling hydroelectric power plant also supports the Jamali (Java, Madura, and Bali) system. If one system collapses, the others will break down, too. So, the system's security aspect must be paid attention to, must be guarded," said Tifatul.

For the record, in 2021, the Saguling power plant has a target to become a provider of cofiring raw material. This PT Indonesia Power-operated facility plans to use the common water hyacinth (Pontederia crasipes) found in abundance in its reservoir. This is done to prevent silting and support the implementation of cofiring at coal-fired power plants. The Biomass Operating System of Saguling (BOSS) is the company's flagship program to realize the "Saguling Clean" program, which is a program to clean the Saguling reservoir from garbage and weeds. (IY)

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