KSP to push for complete electrification in Maluku Province

Ambon, Maluku (ANTARA) - Presidential Staff Office's (KSP's) Deputy I Febry Calvin Tetelepta, vowed to push relevant parties to achieve 100-percent electrification in Maluku Province by the end of 2022 or early 2023.

"As Deputy I of KSP, I will push (state-owned electricity company) PT PLN to fulfil its commitment to electrifying all of Maluku's regions by the end of 2022 or, by the latest, early 2023," he stated in Ambon, Maluku, on Thursday (Apr 14).

Earlier, the KSP deputy had paid a visit to Maluku to officiate the Barge Mounted Power Plant (BMPP) Nusantara 1 in Waai, Ambon Island, Maluku, along with Governor Murad Ismail, House of Representatives (DPR RI) legislator Mercy Chriesy Barends, and PT PLN Sulawesi, Maluku, Papua, and Nusa Tenggara Regional Business Director Adi Priyanto.

He pressed for completing the electrification process in Maluku Province by mid-2023.

"If all regions in Maluku have been electrified, then the multiplier effect will be felt by residents, particularly local fishermen that could develop cold storages to store the fish caught in Maluku waters that are rich in natural resources," Tetelepta remarked.

The KSP deputy highlighted that the Rp997-billion (US$69.7 million) BMPP Nusantara 1 will be a strategic and special asset for Maluku, as the floating power plant was developed entirely by Indonesians through collaboration with PT PLN subsidiary Indonesia Power and shipyard company PT PAL Indonesia.

The development of BMPP Nusantara 1 reflects President Joko Widodo's determination for an Indonesia-centrist development to complete the electrification of Indonesia, he stated.

Through the collaboration to develop the floating power plant, PT PLN and PT PAL Indonesia also followed up on Presidential Instruction No. 2 of 2022 on the utilization of domestic-made products, he added.

"The floating power plant is the first to have been developed wholly by Indonesians. This is a golden opportunity for Maluku's residents to witness energy self-sufficiency, as the BMPP will enable Ambon Island to have an electricity supply surplus of 42.5 MW," Tetelepta expounded.

The electricity supply surplus could be utilized by various stakeholders to invest in industrial and tourism sectors in the province, he stated.

"Domestic and foreign investors need not hesitate to invest in Maluku, as the province has sufficient electricity supply. They could also develop a large-scale fish shelter that will make Ambon Island a modern and advanced fishery hub in the future," the KSP deputy remarked.

Tetelepta noted that two other BMPPs are currently being developed by PT PAL Indonesia, with BMPP Nusantara 2 to be placed in Kolaka, South Sulawesi, to enhance the development of a smelter in the region, and BMPP Nusantara 3 will serve as a backup fleet to address the electricity crises in Indonesian regions. 

*Artikel dalam bahasa Indonesia Baca juga: Febry Tetelepta : KSP akan dorong elektrikasi listrik 100 di seluruh Maluku