Jokowi Inaugurates Biggest PLTB: I'm Like In The Netherlands

President Joko Widodo inaugurated the power plant of bayu or PLTB in Sidenreng Rappang Regency (Sidrap), South Sulawesi Province, on Monday July 2, 2018. This plant is the largest PLTB in Indonesia.

Sidrap PLTB has 30 windmills with 80 meter tower height. The length of the blades is 57 meters and each drives a 2.5 MW turbine. Total capacity generated by 30 turbines reaches 75 MW.

The number of these windmills could make Jokowi joking that he felt was in the Country Windmills, the Netherlands. "I feel like this is a lot like this where in the Netherlands, like in Europe, but we are in Sidrap," said the President who suddenly made everyone present laugh, as reported by the Presidential Secretariat Bureau on Monday, July 2, 2018.

Seeing the propeller in the spinning PLTB Sidrap all, Jokowi feel this development is in accordance with available resources. "I see the propellers muter everything, it means the wind here is more than enough," he said.

Jokowi said the inauguration of this PLTB is a form of government commitment to continue developing power plants with renewable energy. Not only in Sidrap, the government has also prepared the development plan in other areas.

One of them is located in Jeneponto Regency. Jokowi had at the same time inaugurated the Punagaya steam power plant (PLTU) with a capacity of 2x100 MW and Jeneponto Expansion PLTU with a capacity of 2x135 MW. The inauguration was done by signing the inscription. In addition, it is also built PLTB in Tanah Laut and Sukabumi regency.

With this inauguration, Jokowi hopes new renewable energy target of 23 percent by 2025 can be completed. In addition, the inauguration of electricity infrastructure projects also aims to meet the electrification ratio in Indonesia.

In addition to wind power, Jokowi said Indonesia has great potential in the development of other new renewable energy, be it geothermal (geothermal), solar energy, to water energy. "Geothermal (geothermal) that we have a potential of 29,000 MW and newly done new approximately 2,000 (MW)," he said. Indonesia also has a solar power plant, a hydroelectric plant that he thinks is potentially very large as well.

Also present was accompanying President and First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo at the inauguration ceremony, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan, SOE Minister Rini Soemarno, PLN President Director Sofyan Basir and South Sumatra Governor Sumarsono.

According to Sidrap Regent, Rusdi Masse, wind power plant is expected to improve the economy in the region. "Let's help each other, the Sidrap PLTB will increase Sidrap's energy and economy," he said.

@muhibbuttabri