Polish Firm To Invest In Power Plant In Riau

Bangkinan, Riau, March 20 (Antara) - Polish company PT Kepulauan Energi Lestari is planning to build a 3-4 MW power generator in Kampar District, Riau province, using palm oil factory wastes, its director said. President Director of PT Kepulauan Energi Lestari Daniel S Kuswandi said here on Wednesday that the electricity his company would produce would be supplied to local consumers through state-owned electricity firm PLN. However, Daniel did not disclose the amount of the investment his company would make for the project, except saying it would be millions of dollars. The raw materials that will be used to produce electricity are 70 percent oil palm`s trunks and shells and 30 percent oil palm`s tongkos (fruitless bunches). He said that the use of the raw materials was a new way to manage wastes into producing renewable energy. "We hope that we could reach the break-even point and enjoy a profit in the coming several years of operation," Daniel said. Kampar District Head Jefry Noer said Kampar had 37 palm oil factories which produced wastes that could be used as raw materials to produce electricity. "These factories produce some 54 tons of tongkos wastes per day. This excludes shell and trunks wastes," he said. He said that the local government of Kampar supported the development of the power generator project by PT Kepulauan Energi Lestari. "This could help the Kampar government reduce unemployment and poverty rates," he said. In the meantime, as many as 54 bio-gas reactors are under construction in Kerinci Kanan Subdistrict of Siak District, Riau to convert cow dung into fuel. "There will be 50 bio-gas plants for individual use in residents houses, while four communal reactors will be used to fire up several houses," Bukit Harapan Village Head Ahmad Mundir said recently. The locals were cooperating with Mitra Insani Foundation for the bio-gas plant construction, financially supported by the Energy and Environmental Partnership (EEP) of Finland. Mundir said most of the 312 families in the village were oil palm farmers as well as cow breeders. The local farmers was assisted by Mitra Insani Foundation to develop non-grass cattle feed from mashed oil palm midrib and leaves. Having succeeded, the locals wanted to continue more development in how to harness cow dung. Thus, the EEP was interested in financing the bio-gas reactor program. "Besides the integration in oil palm and cow farming, the dung can be use for fuel," Mundir said. Each bio-gas reactor has a four-meter-cubic chamber buried underground. The cow excrement is mixed with water in the chamber to produce methane and other gasses. The produced gasses would accumulate in the chamber and then be channeled through pipes to houses to replace Liquid Petroleum Gas for cooking. "Each reactor has a capacity to fuel a gas stove for four hours a day," spokesperson of Mitra Insani Foundation Moelyadi said.