PLN Saves Rp 100 Billion from Sorik Marapi Plant Operation

The Unit II of Sorik Marapi geothermal power plant (PLTP) is finally up and running after the hydrogen sulfide (H2S) incident earlier this year disrupted its operation. PT Sorik Marapi Geothermal Power (SMGP) has successfully met all requirements to start the commercial operation date (COD) of the 45-megawatt plant after completing the unit rated capacity (URC) test. "We started the construction of Unit II in the second quarter of 2020," PT SMGP president director, Yan Tang, said during the plant’s virtual inauguration on Wednesday (7/28).

The operation of the geothermal power plant’s second unit, located in Mandailing Natal, North Sumatra, allows PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) to save up to Rp 100 billion per year. The ministry’s director-general of Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation, Dadan Kusdiana, said the electricity rate from the Unit II of Sorik Marapi geothermal power plant would be quite competitive, at US$0.081 per kWh. The rate is lower than the electricity supply cost (BPP) in North Sumatra Province at US$0.0108 per kWh. " PLN can save up to Rp 100 billion per year," he said.