Jusuf Kalla Talks About The Difficulty Of Building A Hydropower Plant In Poso, From Social Conflicts To Problems With The PLN Bureaucracy

Jusuf Kalla. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo today inaugurated the 515 MW Poso Energy Hydroelectric Power Plant (PLTA) and the 90 MW Malea Energy Hydroelectric Power Plant owned by the family of former Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

On the same occasion Jusuf Kalla poured out his heart regarding the obstacles he faced while building the largest EBT power plant in Eastern Indonesia.

"Initially, we managed to solve social problems through dialogue in 2001. Then we thought about how to prevent conflicts from happening again, by improving the social welfare of the people," said JK in his speech at the inauguration of the hydropower plant in Poso Regency, Central Sulawesi, Friday, February 25. .

He admits that one of the shortcomings in the Central Sulawesi region is the availability of electricity which has not been able to drive industry, especially community households.

After resolving social conflicts, Kalla admits that he cannot seize opportunities and benefits because he does not trust technology. His company had collaborated with PT Telkom to develop telecommunications in Eastern Indonesia by relying on manual labor.

"Losing a little, then I consulted with my sister, what kind of business can be long-term? He said electricity, we finally started to build because we saw the potential in Poso which has many rivers," he said.

The initial construction of this hydropower plant was also not free from a number of challenges. He admitted that it took him 5 years to get a permit with PT PLN and 7 years to complete the physical construction of the hydropower plant.

"Imagine that it took us 12 years to complete this construction. But Alhamdulillah with the new leader, now the permit only takes 1 year," he said.

The former 10th and 12th Vice President revealed that several things were needed to achieve the government's target of reducing emissions by 29 percent by 2030.

"Many are unable to build a mini hydropower plant because of the complicated rules of negotiation so that the process runs slowly. What is difficult in this development is not the technical aspect but the bureaucracy," said Kalla.

In contrast to hydropower plants in general, which use a reservoir concept, which requires a large area of land, the Poso hydropower plant uses a run-off river (ROR) management system. This system maintains river flow for 24 hours, using only small sized dams or embankments as barriers or water gates.

Currently, this environmentally friendly power plant has been interconnected with a 275 kV transmission line to South Sulawesi Province. Not only that, the Poso hydropower plant has also been connected to a 150 kV transmission line from the generator to Palu City, Central Sulawesi.

Jusuf Kalla said the hydropower plant built by his party absorbs up to 2,000 workers. As many as 80 percent of these workers come from local residents.

"Only the chief engineer came, who had experience. The rest was all done by the nation's children. The Domestic Component Level (TKDN) was also large," said Jusuf Kalla.

Meanwhile, regarding the cost of building a hydropower plant which is twice that of a steam power plant, his party did not deny it. Jusuf Kalla said the cost to build the two hydropower plants with a total capacity of 605 MW reached 1.2 billion US dollars or Rp. 17 trillion.

Although he admits that the cost of constructing hydropower is more expensive than fossil-based power plants, Jusuf Kalla said that the operational costs of hydropower are cheaper.

"Indeed, the initial investment is large for the development of NRE. However, operationally in the future it will be much cheaper. Meanwhile, if the PLTU, the investment up front is cheap but the operational costs are expensive," added Jusuf Kalla.