Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan (AntaranewsKalsel) - The PLN Region of South and Central Kalimantan is targeting to electrify 100 remote villages in the two provinces through the village electricity (listrik masuk desa) program 2016-2017.
GM PLN South and Central Kalimantan Purnomo in Banjarmasin on Friday said some villages that enter the program are mostly remote villages in Kotabaru, Barito Kuala, Balangan, North Hulu Sungai, Tabalong and in some districts in Central Kalimantan.
Through the program, he added, it is expected that by 2019 all villages in South Kalimantan will have been powered and 92 percent household ratio in two provinces has used electricity.
Currently, he added, about 16 percent of South Kalimantan region has not been electrified, because the location is quite far from urban areas. In addition, the distance from one home to another is far apart.
"So now the electricity subsidy will be transferred to remote areas that have not been reached by the electricity," he said.
Previously, Purnomo said that currently the electricity for the South and Central Kalimantan areas has a surplus of 100 megawatts, resulting in a power outage in the two provinces to be overcome.
The surplus was obtained after the Batangkanai Gas Power Plant (PLTG) in North Barito, Central Kalimantan was completed. From PLTG, PLN is able to distribute up to 140 megawatts to meet the electricity needs of South and Central Kalimantan.
In addition, he added, PLTU Pulang Pisau Volume II has also been completed, thus increasing the electricity supply for the two neighboring provinces.