Fencing Close, Batang Power Plant Ready for Construction
Batang, March 24th, 2016- The process of building the power plant in Batang, Central Java with a capacity of 2 x 1,000 MW, as the first Public Private Partnership (PPP) project, began to enter the construction phase. Thursday (24/3), the area around the power plant site was closed with fence as the final preparation of the construction. Previously PT Bhimasena Power Indonesia (PT BPI) as the person in charge of the construction and operation of Central Java power plant has announced about the fencing close in the village office, sign board, and a number of locations. After the fencing close, the power plant area are closed to the public.
"We are grateful for the support of various parties so that the construction process can be done immediately. The entire land acquisition process has also been resolved properly, not only for power block area but also for the area of the substation and transmission lines along the 5.5 km has also been completed," said Mohammad Effendi, President Director of PT BPI in Batang.
226 hectares of land acquisition has been fully completed. Consignment process by implementing the Law No. 2/2012 on 12.5 ha of remaining land from total of 226 ha required land has been resolved, and the land handover has been transferred from BPN to PT PLN (Persero) on December 8th, 2015. As a follow-up, PT PLN (Persero) has installed information boards that announced the ownership of the land by PT PLN (Persero), on January 11th, 2016 at the location of the land that has been acquired. PT PLN (Persero) has been entrusted consignment funds in Batang district court. The land owner can take the consignment fund in Batang District Court.
Legal issues related to the land acquisition has been resolved with the issuance of the decision of the Supreme Court published on February 29, 2016 and which not to accept the lawsuit hence the Location Determination permit issued by Central Java Governor remains valid.
Related to a number of environmental issues, Effendi confirms has received various permits that required for the project, including the Environmental Impact Assessment and involving experts. "We had been through a series of certification and licensing process. EIA assessment process involving experts who conducted a number of analyzes and we put it in the EIA documents which become our commitment to the community and the government. Its implementation is continually monitored and evaluated regularly," explained Effendi further.
"This power plant is a national project, to meet national needs. Electricity that produced from Batang power plant not only for Batang, but became a national electricity supply," explains Soetadi, Vice Regent of Batang, when attending on the process of fencing. Power plant in Central Java is part of the Java-Bali electrification program as well as the Government's commitment to realize the supply of electricity of 35,000 MW within 5 years (2014-2019). With the start of construction, Central Java power plant are expected to be operated in 2020 and providing national power supply which continue to rise more than 8% per year.
Furthermore, Soetadi hope that the power plant project will have a direct impact on Batang economic growth. "The completion of this power plant is crucial to increase the investor confidence to invest in Batang. The conducive and positive investment climate will bring good impact on the economy and community welfare," said Soetadi. "Power plant project will also be able to absorb the local worker, and there is transfer of knowledge and skills for the Batang community, and business opportunities will also be open." Soetadi explained that the community needs to be sensitive to capture the business opportunities created by the presence of the power plant, for example, with a variety of business that supporting power plant activity, both goods and services.
Mohammad Effendi affirms that PT BPI is committed to contribute to improving public welfare through sustainable community empowerment. "We have a number of development programs already running and will continue for example with the community business group, skills training, and a variety of infrastructure renovation," he said.
The affected farmers are also expected not to worry because PT BPI has been providing replacement land that can be devoted for the affected tenant farmers. In addition, the social compensation program that has been run is expected to support the community livelihood and be a temporary solution until a replacement land can be used properly.
Effendi expect through the construction of a power plant project with a capacity of 2 x 1,000 MW, the people of Batang are expected for direct benefit in the form of work opportunities and the presence of new economic centers. "The priority of local workers is also one of our concerns, with various qualifications to be adjusted. So that in the future, we hope the presence of the power plant in Central Java can provide more benefits to the local and national," he added.