TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - State-owned energy firm PLN in a statement on Sunday claims it has logged an electrification ratio of 95.62 percent across 7,036 villages in Papua and West Papua. The company insists that it will reach 100 percent coinciding with the Indonesian government’s initial goal.

“PLN will continue to accelerate the electrification of the villages to reach a 100 percent ratio as the government has ordered,” said Syamsul Huda, PLN regional business director for Sulawesi, Maluku, Papua, and Nusa Tenggara on July 18.

Upon continuing to develop the electricity at 328 villages in Papua and West Papua, the company is also planning to power 32 villages solely on solar power plants (PLTS) while another 285 villages - that are rural and isolated from the main power grid - are powered by Electrical Energy Charging Station (SPEL) and Electrical Power Distribution Equipment (APDAL).

“The PLN is utilizing solar energy to support the new renewable energy mix the government ordered of 23 percent by 2025,” said the PLN regional business director.

For 5 years throughout 2016 until 2020 the PLN has electrified up to 454 megawatts to 807 villages that sustain the livelihood of at least 38,000 customers in Papua and West Papua, with a total investment value of RP2.03 trillion.

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ANTARA