Build The Largest Hydropower Plant In Southeast Asia, Kayan Hydro Energy Reveals The Difficulties Faced

Kayan Hydro Energy (KHE) Operations Director Khaeroni. (Photo: Bambang E. Ros/VOI)

TANJUNG CELLOR - PT Kayan Hydro Energy (KHE) is currently working on the first dam from the Kayan Hydroelectric Power Plant (PLTA) project, in North Kalimantan.

This hydropower plant is predicted to be the largest in Southeast Asia.

KHE Khaeroni's Director of Operations revealed that some of the obstacles faced.

He said, the Kayan hydropower project was built in the forest, so the terrain faced to go to the project site was quite challenging.

"If it's difficult, this project in the forest can be said that the remote area to get there is also extra," he said in Tanjung Selor, North Kalimantan, Sunday, December 10.

Moreover, Roni, Khaeroni's nickname, explained that the transportation of materials can only be done through rivers. When the river recedes, material transportation cannot be carried out.

The only material transportation uses a river. The obstacle is ups and downs, if we can't mobilize dry water, at a time when high water can only be monilized. Medan is also quite extreme, this is an extra challenge in the work," he said.

In addition, continued Roni, the final stage in the construction of the first phase of the Kayan hydropower plant is the diversion work or river diversion which is carried out through the detonation or blasting process at the project site.

In this diversion process, continued Roni, it also needs extra explosives because the stones at the project site are large in size. The stone needs to be broken so that it can be transported and stockpiled.

"Then now when you see hills, hard stones, you also need extra hard explosives, large sizes must be minimized and can be transported and stockpiled. This is also a challenge," he explained.

However, Roni is optimistic that the first phase of the Kayan hydropower plant will be ready to operate commercially (COD) in 2027.

"When talking about dam 1 (PLTA Kayan), COD can reach 2027, no later than 2028. The total capacity is 900 Megawatt (MW) dam 1," he said.

For information, the Kayan Cascade hydropower plant built by PT KHE utilizes an area along the Kayan river and consists of 5 dams with 5-6 units of generating turbines for each dam.

The first stage of the Kayan Cascade hydropower plant is 900 Megawatt (MW), the second stage is 1,200 MW, the third and fourth stages are 1,800 MW, and the fifth stage is 3,300 MW, respectively.