The government of Indonesia will build a micro hydropower plant (or PLMTH, Pembangkit Listrik Mikro Tenaga Hidro, or Air). Kali Ombak, Maybrat, West Papua, is where the plant will be built. This program will actually provide renewable energy as a form of targeted utilization of the state budget (or APBN, Anggaran Pendapatan dan Belanja Negara).
About The Micro Hydro Power Plant in Maybrat, West Papua
According to I Gede Yudistira Kusuma, Coordinator of Planning and Procurement of EBTKE (Energi Baru Terbarukan Dari Konservasi Energi or Renewable New Energy from Energy Conservation) Infrastructure Development at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, this development for infrastructure can benefit the people living in the 3T (Terdepan, Terpencil, dan Tertinggal or leading, remote, and backward) areas.
As mentioned by Gede, the program of activities that benefits the community from renewable energy is the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and local governments’ mutual commitments.
The activity was done on April 12, 2022. The power plant construction in Kali Ombak is still ongoing. This power plant has 35 kilowatts for 55 houses. They are all in these villages: Seni, Kurasso, and Ossom.
Several other public facilities that will receive electricity include churches, schools (including homes for teachers), health centers, and village halls. Gede stated that the power plant’s construction would consist of power plants, networks, and electrical connections’ installed in people’s homes.
The Energy Patriot Personnel and The Program Development So Far
The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has formed Energy Patriot personnel. They are formed to assist and supervise during the power plant construction project and, more significantly, during the maintenance procedures.
Gede stated his appreciation regarding the Maybrat Regional Government’s support, the government of West Papua, the district heads, and the whole community of the region. Gede hopes that all the infrastructures – whether they have already been built or are being built – can be managed both by the local government and the community. That way, everybody in the community can feel the benefits of these infrastructures.
A Hope From Maybrat
The Regent Leader of Maybrat, Bernard Sagrim, emphasized that the building and development of the power plant is the government’s commitment to implementing policies on what the community needs, especially in terms of getting enough electricity. According to Sagrim, this power plant is driven by the hydraulic power of water. This technology has been used in Indonesia for decades.
The need for electricity in these villages, in Mare Selatan District, has been met through a generator set, with diesel as the fuel. The budget for the fuel is taken from the collective contributions and financial aid from the village officials.
What if diesel is hard to get? People rely on lamps as sources of light. The villagers are very thankful for this power plant development program. This way, they will receive electricity more efficiently.
Marcus Yewen, the Kurasso Village Leader, was also very welcoming of this power plant program development in West Papua. This development will soon illuminate Kurasso Village.
“We hope from the ministry that we will still be able to benefit from this power plant for the next five to six years to come,” Yewen stated. “With the help in maintenance funds, such hopes will be made possible.”
Things That You Need To Know Regarding Micro Hydro Power Plant
Why micro-hydro power plant? Here are some things that you need to know about this:
For starters, it makes a very significant contribution to energy saving. It also contributes to the improvement of the quality of the environment. How? By reducing the use of fossil fuels, which impact air pollution, acid rain, and the greenhouse effect.
Another thing about this type of power plant is how it helps preserve forest functions. This will automatically ensure the continuity of water production, which will also benefit the community itself.
Hopefully, this will increase public awareness of maintaining forest conservation and water production. The government has been developing this micro-hydro program through the Energetically-Independent Village Program (or DME, Desa Mandiri Energi) since 2007. This is one of their efforts to provide renewable energy as an entry point in rural economic activities by delivering power with technology.
Of course, the technology must also be operated easily by the community. That way, they will not have to rely on help from the central government most of the time. They can be more independent.
A micro-hydropower plant is a small-scale hydroelectric power plant with a capacity between 5 kilowatts to 1 megawatt. This is why this program is essential for West Papua’s environmental development. A water-based power is more green-friendly than the usual fossil-fuel-based power. It will reduce the carbon prints in the air. As mentioned earlier, it will also help preserve the region’s forest.
