We hope the attempt can support (the development of) national food security and improve the welfare of the farmers.
Bandarlampung, Lampung State-run electricity provider PT PLN, through the Electrifying Agriculture Program, strives to support Southern Sumatra as an integrated development and food-producing area as well as a new economic hub. The company’s president director, Darmawan Prasodjo, conveyed this aspiration in a statement here on Friday.
Prasodjo elaborated that the program will encourage the agricultural sector to become more advanced and modern by replacing expensive and non-environmentally friendly fossil fuel-based agricultural equipment with electricity-based machinery that is cheap and eco-friendly.
One liter of diesel fuel worth Rp16 thousand used for operating a rice mill is equivalent to 1.2 kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity that costs only Rp1,800, he pointed out.
“Thus, if you (the farmers) shift from (using) diesel fuel to electricity, you can reduce the cost by about 80 percent. It is the reason we are implementing the Electrifying Agriculture Program to support food security,” he affirmed.
His side remains committed to expanding the program in various regions throughout Indonesia.
In Southern Sumatra, there are currently 12,482 customers of the Electrifying Agriculture Program, with the total electricity demand reaching 381 megavolt-amperes (MVA) as of June 2022.
The president director said his side had also mapped out the potential implementation of the program in the region, such as in palm oil plantations, poultry farming, shrimp ponds, sugarcane processing, tapioca factories, as well as for irrigation.
Furthermore, Prasodjo ensured that PLN will secure the electricity demand in South Sumatra on account of abundant electricity reserves in the region. The enterprise noted that capacity of the electricity system in South Sumatra reached 5,283 megawatts (MW), with a peak load of 4,001 MW, so there was a power reserve of 1,282 MW.
“We hope the effort can support (the development of) national food security and improve the welfare of farmers,” Prasodjo remarked.
Prasodjo also said his side not only provided reliable electricity supply but also synergized with other state-owned corporations to provide a modern, cheap, and eco-friendly agricultural system.
In fact, PLN has designed an electricity system that is integrated with the toll road development plan to support the agricultural sector in Sumatra Island, he stated.
“To strengthen the electricity system, work is underway for the transmission of 275 kilovolts (of electric power) from Aceh Province to Lampung Province,” he added.
Source: Antara News