The state-owned electricity company PT PLN’s Papua and West Papua Region (WP2B) has been considering biomass-fueled power plants to produce sustainable electricity in Merauke regency, Papua.

The electricity company has signed an agreement with a private partner, PT Merauke Narada Energi, which developed the technology.

“PT Merauke Narada Energi will develop the power plant using biomass, which will be tested this year,” PLN WP2B general manager Yohanes Sukrislismono said in a release made available on Saturday.

He said PT Merauke Narada Energi was currently developing the biomass-fueled power plant with a capacity of 3.5 MW in Wapeko, Merauke. This supply is to be distributed to a special economic zone (KEK) in Salor, Merauke.

With the supply, the electricity in the regency, which has a peak load of 19.1 MW, is expected to be more reliable.

“We have an area of 250,000 hectares producing woodchips,” said Budi Basuki of PT Medco Energi.

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He said his company had previously conducted research on the use of woodchips to fuel power plants. “This is just the first step,” Budi said.

The plant is the first to develop using forest-based renewable energy in the eastern Indonesian region.

The wood waste used for the plant comes from plantations of acacia, eucalyptus and meulaluca, which will be processed into fuel for the power plant. (wit)