Wow, It Turns Out That There Is An 864 Km Electric Toll Road In Flores

The electricity infrastructure of the Flores Electricity Toll Road owned by PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara in East Nusa Tenggara. (Intermediate Photo)

JAKARTA - PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara has operated the Flores Electricity Toll Road which stretches for 864 kilometers (kms) from Labuan Bajo to Maumere in East Nusa Tenggara.

PLN Regional Business Director for Sulawesi, Maluku, Papua and Nusa Tenggara Syamsul Huda said the electricity infrastructure has a capacity of 225 megavolt amperes (MVA) which is expected to attract investment and boost the economy on Flores Island and its surroundings.

"We believe electricity is the energy that drives life and plays an important role in improving people's quality of life," said Syamsul Huda in a statement quoted by Antara in Jakarta, Saturday, July 31.

The electricity system on Flores Island currently has a capacity of 104.1 megawatts (MW) with a peak load to serve a total customer of 71.6 MW. So far, the power plant in Flores is still separated into two systems, namely the West Flores System and the East Flores System.

Huda explained that the West Flores system has a total generating capacity of 40.7 MW, consisting of PLTMG Rangko 23 MW and PLTD Golobilas 3.4 MW in Labuan Bajo, PLTP Ulumbu 10 MW, PLTD Faobata Bajawa 2.2 MW in Manggarai Regency and other power plants. .

The Eastern Flores system has a total capacity of 63.4 MW with power plants in the form of 2 MW Ndungga PLTMH, 1 MW Wewaria PLTS, 3 MW Mautapaga PLTD, 14 MW Ropa PLTU in Ende; and PLTS Waeblerer 1 MW, PLTD Wolomarang 3 MW, and PLTMG Maumere 40 MW in Sikka Regency.

The combination of the two electricity systems increases energy reliability in Flores. In addition, the merger also makes the electricity system more efficient and can reduce operating costs by around 3-4 percent. PLN spent a budget of Rp. 1.1 trillion to build the Flores Electricity Toll infrastructure.

Currently, the electrification ratio in East Nusa Tenggara reaches 88.82 percent and the ratio of electrified villages has reached 96.57 percent as of June 2021. “The main obstacles faced in the field apart from land acquisition for tower footprints are also geographical challenges during the construction process, such as bringing good materials for foundation construction, tower installation, and the process of pulling cables because access to reach the location is still done by maximizing human labor and simple methods," said Huda.