A consortium led by US power company Duke Energy International has acquired a 195 MW power project under construction on the Indonesian island of Irian Jaya from PT Freeport Indonesia and Rio Tinto.
The first part of the project is due to be completed in the early part of this year. The power plant and transmission facilities will be used to support the expansion of copper and gold mining facilities on Irian Jaya.
The power project is worth around $360 million. Following the deal, the project is now owned by PT Puncakhaya Power (PJP), a joint venture of which Duke Energy owns 42.86 per cent, Westcoast Power Inc. 42.86 per cent and the Indo- nesian company PT Prasarana Nusantara Jaya 14.28 per cent.
The new power plant comprises three 65 MW coal fired units. Two are due to enter service early this year; the third in August. When these units are on line, PJP will own 389 MW of generating capacity serving mining operations in Irian Jaya.