Jatigede Hydropower Plant Officially Operates, Iwan Setiawan: Encourages Realization Of The West Java Candidate Program

Deputy Chairman of the West Java Regional People's Representative Council (DPRD), Iwan Suryawan (doc West Java DPRD)

BOGOR Deputy Chairperson of the West Java DPRD, Iwan Suryawan, expressed his hope that the newly inaugurated Jatigede Hydroelectric Power Plant (PLTA) could accelerate the realization of the "Jabar Caang" program while meeting the electricity needs for 121,871 houses in West Java that had not yet been electrified until 2025.

The Jatigede hydropower plant, which was inaugurated by President Prabowo Subianto on Monday, January 20, has a capacity of 2x55 megawatts (MW). In his remarks, the President emphasized the importance of investing in the energy sector as a driver of economic growth and improving people's welfare.

"PLTA Jatigede, which utilizes the Jatigede Reservoir as the second largest reservoir in Indonesia, is a shared pride. We hope that the existence of this hydropower plant can support the West Java Provincial Government program, one of which is the West Java Caang program," said Iwan Suryawan, Tuesday, January 28.

Based on data from the West Java Energy and Mineral Resources Service (ESDM), there are still 121,871 houses in 1,737 villages spread across 26 districts/cities in West Java that have not yet received access to electricity.

Iwan, who also serves as Treasurer of the West Java PKS DPW, encouraged the West Java Provincial Government to immediately resolve this issue before 2025.

"With the great potential of the PLTA and Jatigede Reservoir, the people of West Java are optimistic that the West Java Caang program can be realized, providing broad benefits for households, the agricultural sector, and industry," he added.

The Jatigede Reservoir, which was built with a budget of IDR 4.4 trillion, not only supports power plants, but also has various other functions such as irrigation, raw water supply, flood control, and tourism development.

For the irrigation sector, this reservoir supplies water to the Irrigation Area of Rentang which serves 87,840 hectares of agricultural land in Majalengka, Cirebon, and Indramayu. The existence of this irrigation has had a significant impact on increasing rice production in the region.

According to data from the West Java Agriculture Service, rice production in Majalengka increased from 3.6 thousand tons to 11.6 thousand tons. In Cirebon, production rose from 121 thousand tons to 266 thousand tons, while in Indramayu it increased from 450 thousand tons to 1.2 million tons since the operation of the Jatigede Reservoir.

"The benefits must be optimal, especially for the community. With the function of irrigation, electricity, and raw water, Jatigede is expected to have a positive impact in areas such as Indramayu, Majalengka, and Cirebon," explained Iwan.

In addition, this reservoir is capable of supplying raw water of 3,500 liters per second for the needs of Sumedang, Indramayu, Cirebon, Cirebon City, and Majalengka. Not only that, the Jatigede Reservoir is also able to reduce the risk of flooding by 81.4 percent.

"Flood control, raw water supply, and irrigation are important contributions from the Jatigede Reservoir. With the additional electricity from the hydropower plant, we hope this benefit can improve the community's economy," concluded Iwan.

The existence of the Jatigede Hydropower Plant and Reservoir brings new hope for the people of West Java to achieve a better life, with access to electricity, increased agricultural products, and better flood control in the future.