President Joko Widodo’s visit to West Kalimantan was not only to inaugurate the construction of a mobile power plant (MPP) but also to see first-hand the stalled power plant project.
"Why did I come here this afternoon? First, I heard about a power plant project that has been on hold for 7 to 8 years. This must be sorted out," said Widodo in his official statement during the inauguration of the construction of the 4x25 megawatt (MW) MPP in West Kalimantan and a 2x10 MW steam-fired power plant in Ketapang on Thursday (2/6).
The plant site is located just opposite the MPP, in Mempawah, West Kalimantan. Widodo said that the project delays had cost IDR 1.5 trillion, which is state money that should be used for the people.
When arriving at the project location, Widodo immediately ordered the President Director of state electricity firm PLN Sofyan Basir to sort it out this year. Sofyan made a promise to Jokowi to complete the project by December 2016. (Read: Widodo Inaugurates Mobile Power Plant in Sumatra to Solve Power Crisis)
Widodo said that he would continue to monitor the progress of the project and would check at the end of the year to see whether Sofyan had kept his promise. "I wanted to reiterate that if you work with me, I will supervise, I will check. I’m pleased to come to a place where the problem is. Because this is the state money, this is the people's money," he said.
He said that in nearly all the provinces he had visited, the majority of complaints were about electricity, which is why he would continue to follow the progress of the 35 gigawatts (GW) power project. Having electricity is vital to a region’s development, he added.
If there is electricity investors will be interested in investing in and starting businesses. This will drive the regional economy because it will facilitate the construction of factories, hotels, housing and other businesses. (Read: PLN to Work on Sumatra – Java Subsea Cable Project After Being Reprimanded by Government)
Widodo does not want to hear more about any more infrastructure development problems, particularly stalled power plant projects. He emphasised that all development projects should be undertaken seriously.
He also asked local governments to provide support for the construction of all infrastructure projects, especially to facilitate the process of land acquisition, which has caused problems. (Read: Controversy over 35 GW Power Project, Rizal Criticises Kalla and Sudirman Again)
Construction of the MPP began in May, and Widodo wants operations to commence in September. Sofyan Basir said that the MPP will supply West Kalimantan with 100 MW of power, or about 30 percent of the total peak demand for electricity in the region.
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