Central Kalimantan and Central Java governments will soon conduct joint feasibility studies to lay about 350 kilometres of submarine electricity cable between the two provinces.

The undersea cable project aims to flow electricity to Central Java from two mine-mouth power plants in Central Kalimantan’s Barito Utara and Kotawaringin Barat regencies. The power plants are planned to have combined capacity of 2×600 megawatts, Central Kalimantan Governor Agustin Teras Narang said at his office in Palangkaraya on Wednesday (27/5).

Last September, Governor Agustin and Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the power transmission project, Tempo.co reported.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Agustin said that Central Kalimantan, the country’s second largest coal supplier after South Sumatra, has big deposits of low-calorie coal which is suitable for mine-mouth power plants.

The Central Kalimantan governor said that the operation of the planned power plants and the undersea cable network would cause a significant decline in electricity prices in Central Kalimantan and Java. So far, coal transportation costs have given significant contribution to the higher prices of electricity.

Agustin did not say, however, exactly when the feasibility studies for the power projects would start. Also, he did not mention his estimate about the time the projects would begin supplying electricity to Java. He only said that several private investors had expressed interest to take part in the power projects.

So far, Central Kalimantan along with South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan and South Sumatra have supplied coals for power plants in Java.

Meanwhile, the central government is making preparation to build submarine cable to flow electricity from Sumatra to Java, through the Sunda Straits. The project is planned to be completed within the next five years as planned by President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo’s administration.

Currently, undersea power cable system is used to transmit electricity from Java to Madura and Bali under the Java-Madura-Bali interconnection system.

Source: Kompas.com