- PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminum (Inalum) Operating has two Hydroelectric Power Plants (PLTA) with a capacity of 603 Mega Watts (MW).
- The Hydroelectric Power Plants located in Paritohan, Toba Samosir Regency, North Sumatra Province, rely on water resources from Lake Toba and have been around for 40 years or since operating in 1982.
- The use of new and renewable energy in the aluminum production process makes Inalum Operating the only smelter that produces low emissions in the entire MIND ID Group.
Holding BUMN Mining MIND ID through PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminum (Inalum) Operating has two Hydroelectric Power Plants (PLTA) with a capacity of 603 Mega Watts (MW). Those two water plants, located in Paritohan, Toba Samosir Regency, North Sumatra Province, rely on water resources from Lake Toba and have been around for 40 years or since operating in 1982.
The two water plants on Lake Toba are the Sigura-gura hydropower plant with a capacity of 286 MW with details, there are four turbines with a capacity of 71.5 MW originating from Toshiba. And the Tangga hydropower plant with a capacity of 317MW, with four turbines of 79.2 MW each coming from Hitachi and its generator Mitsubishi.
The hydroelectric power plant owned by PT. Inalum uses a turbine which is a product from Japan. This is because, Inalum is a joint venture between the Indonesian government and Japan since operating in 1982. However, after the contract ended in 2013, Indonesia officially manages 100% of the Inalum company that produces aluminum.
Even though it is 40 years old, Inalum continues to improve the performance of the generator. One of them, the company has replaced all turbines from 2001 to 2019 at the Sigura-Gura plant with the latest more efficient technology to achieve optimum power output to 286 MW or 4×71.5 MW. This is done so that the hydroelectric power plant can continue to meet the electricity needs of the company’s Aluminum Smelting Plant in Kuala Tanjung.
The Sigura-gura hydropower plant and the Tangga hydropower plant rely on water discharge from Lake Toba. The Vice President of Public Relations of Inalum Power Plant, Arfan Iqbal Harahap, detailed that Lake Toba water flows through the Asahan River to the Malacca Strait through the two Inalum Operating hydropower plants. Thus, the Company has an interest in the water level (TMA) of Lake Toba throughout the year, both in the dry and rainy seasons so that the availability of water for the generator can be maintained.
The company also constantly monitors to avoid water shortages for the community during the dry season, and vice versa during the rainy season to avoid excess water supply. PT. Inalum Operating always mitigates the potential for flooding during the rainy season, especially when there is runoff from the Sigura-Gura and Tangga dams.
In terms of maintaining water supply, PT. Inalum works with stakeholders to maintain the sustainability of the Lake Toba area, starting from the rivers that supply water to Lake Toba and the Lake Toba Catchment Area to the Asahan River Basin. Activities carried out include monitoring and research as well as efforts to reforest critical land to support the restoration of water reserves. In 2021, the Sigura-gura and Tangga hydroelectric power plants will produce electrical energy reaching 4,041,774 MWh with a consumption rate of 4,027,118 MWh. Inalum Operating also recorded a surplus of electricity distributed to PT PLN (Persero) of 41,447 MWh, an increase of 10% from the previous year.
The use of new and renewable energy in the aluminum production process makes Inalum Operating the only smelter that produces low emissions in the entire MIND ID Group.
Editor: Riana Nurhasanah
References:
[1]Berusia 40 Tahun, PLTA Milik Inalum Andalkan Turbin Jepang
[2]Simak! Begini Cara Inalum Optimalkan Dua PLTA Usia 40 Tahun
