The Electricity Supply in West Papua and Its Development

The development of power plants in the eastern part of Indonesia has become one of the government’s main focuses. The President seeks to advance Papua as a particular economic area. As a result, West Papua will attract various industrial companies to develop the site. So, how is the development of electricity supply in this area? Here is the information.

Distribution of Electricity for Papua

Conventional lighting using a lamp is the primary choice for the Papuan people. It will be chosen for people who live in hilly and forest areas. Fire and kerosene are the primary sources for various activities at night. Accessibility difficulties are a constraint from the limited electricity in Papua and the surrounding area.

For these reasons, the government is currently making various efforts to provide information to Papua’s land evenly. The government plans to build several power plants collaborating with multiple parties to accommodate this demand. One of the parties that helped was the State Electricity Company (PLN).

PLN sent two power plants with gas engine power to supply the electricity in remote areas. In addition, the development of power transmission lines in the area is also given more attention in expanding the network coverage. With this plan, the site in West Papua is ready as an industrial location. From the role of PLN, more households are connected to the electricity grid.

Environmentally Friendly Power Generation Project

Papua is famous for its original customs, culture and beliefs. Inland tribes believe that maintaining the authenticity of nature is very important to continue survival. That is why Papua’s electricity infrastructure has environmentally friendly energy. The government wants to provide the best for the Papuan people to continue to enjoy the electricity supply.

The President, together with his staff, inaugurated six massive electricity infrastructures. Some of these power plants are based on new, renewable energy that is environmentally friendly. The entire project that was carried out cost a fantastic amount of billions of rupiah. The positive side of the application of this power plant affects saving fuel oil.

The reliability of electricity in Papua is getting better with the existence of a transmission system and substations. In other words, it was the first GI with a good volt capacity. In the electricity development project in West Papua, BUMN is also assisting in accelerating the development of electricity infrastructure in Papua.

Success in constructing six electricity infrastructures in Papua is significant for life in Papua. It is in line with the increasing demand for electricity from this province. However, in its development, the government faces obstacles and challenges and those who assist. It is due to the hilly topography of Papua and minimal accessibility.

Despite finding a number of obstacles, PLN and stakeholders were able to complete the electricity development project evenly. Now, according to reports from 7358 villages in Papua, only 332 villages remain without electricity. But in the future, the government will try hard to fulfill the need for electricity supply as a whole to the land of Papua so that it can be maximized.

Renewable Energy Project

The government optimizes local resources based on renewable energy to provide opportunities for areas far from the electricity grid in West Papua. It will utilize alternative power generation, such as an electric tube, solar power, biomass and Pico hydro. Solar power generation is essential to remote areas that are difficult to access by transportation.

The pico-hydro power plant is useful as a small-scale power plant that utilizes the potential energy of water. As a result, this will provide alternative energy reaching 5000 watts. Meanwhile, the electric tube is an energy storage device like a power bank to provide electricity for household needs.

It will be different from a biomass power plant that utilizes biomass energy potential. Some biomass energy consists of wood, bamboo, palm fiber, and other dry organic matter. All of this renewable energy is used to produce alternative infrastructure for electricity in Papua equally at the same time.

Despite having geographical challenges and very low occupancy density, the government’s program with 1000 Renewable Energy for Papua is an effective solution in accelerating electrification. As a result, PLN has recently operated ten units of solar power plants in Papua. Fourteen villages can take advantage of the power supply from environmentally friendly power plants.

Electrification Strategy in Papua

West Papua is geographically isolated from mountains and forests. However, this did not break the spirit of the government in completing the electrification target to all regions in Papua. The government has implemented several effective strategies, such as grid extension, mini-grid construction, and construction of electricity distribution equipment.

Overall, the government made many efforts to expand the existing electricity in Papua. Not only building a number of power plants in general. The government is also doing projects for renewable power plants to reach remote areas in the mountains of Papua and its surroundings. As a result, all Papuan people meet their daily electricity needs.