OREANDA-NEWS. November 08, 2012. Completion of construction of the Ulubelu geothermal power station for Indonesia's state-owned power company, PT. PLN (Persero)

In October 2012, Sumitomo Corporation (Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Kuniharu Nakamura) completed construction of the Ulubelu geothermal power station comprising units 1 and 2, each with a capacity of 55 megawatts (MW), for delivery to PT. PLN (Persero) (hereafter, "PLN"), a state-owned power company in Indonesia.

Located in the Ulubelu district, Tanggamus county in Lampumg Province at the southern tip of Indonesia's Sumatra Island, the Ulubelu power station was built as the first large-scale geothermal power generating facility on the island. The construction project was financed with a yen credit loan from the Japanese Government. Sumitomo Corporation received an order from PLN to undertake the Ulubelu power station construction project through international bidding in 2010. The project was completed after two years, ahead of the deadline set in the contract with PLN. 
 
Under the project, the main unit--the geothermal steam turbine and generator--was supplied by Fuji Electric Co., Ltd., which boasts advanced technological prowess and abundant experience in the manufacture of geothermal power generation facilities. At the same time, PT Rekayasa Industri, an Indonesian company, took charge of civil, construction and installation work. The project encompassed a broad range of elements; installation of a new transmission line that extends 26 kilometers and connects an existing transmission line to the Ulubelu power station, expansion and construction of three related transformer stations, and development of a sloped stretch of land within the premises. Sumitomo Corporation and its business partners leveraged their extensive experience to smoothly lead the project to completion, meeting highly demanding project management requirements.

 Building on the success of the Ulubelu project, Sumitomo Corporation will aim at further contributing to building environmentally friendly electric power infrastructure. Notably, the Indonesian Government is planning to launch a number of new geothermal power stations capable of generating approximately 4,000 MW in total under its "second fast track program," which is aimed to accelerate development of the country's national power sources. The company is looking to contribute by participating in as many of these upcoming projects as possible.

Sumitomo Corporation has been globally engaged in the construction and delivery of geothermal power stations and now generates approximately 2,200 MW, including the new facility in Ulubelu. This is equivalent to around 20% of the capacity of geothermal power plants currently operating worldwide. In Indonesia alone, the Company has been involved in eight geothermal power station projects, delivering a total capacity of approximately 640 MW. This accounts for about half of the country's existing geothermal power capacity of around 1,340 MW.