Households connected to Indonesia’s Java—Bali electricity grid now enjoy the comfort of a steady stream of electric current powering their homes. The rehabilitated and upgraded grid has reduced energy losses and met rising electricity demand. The optimized network now serves more customers and has contributed to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.
Through ADB’s Java–Bali Electricity Distribution Performance Improvement Project, the power distribution network of the state-owned company Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) has been rehabilitated and strengthened to reduce energy losses and meet rising electricity demand.
Backing the project is a cofinancing partnership between ADB and the Agence Française de Développement, supported by the Government of Indonesia, which is intent on reducing carbon dioxide emissions and pushing its energy conservation and energy efficiency initiatives.
Interventions
Some $83.93 million in infrastructure investments were used to upgrade the Java–Bali grid, which included additional or larger conductors to reduce distribution losses, distribution transformers with greater capacity, and covered conductors in areas prone to outages. Specifically, 3,751 circuit-kilometers of medium-voltage circuit and 359 MVA of additional distribution transformer capacity were installed, and an additional 51 MVA of capacity was procured under the project and installed after loan closure.
The project also included an Efficient Lighting Pilot Program. Funded by ADB’s Clean Energy Fund, the program replaced old streetlights with energy-saving light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures in two pilot cities and in PLN substations and power stations. The program reduced the energy consumption of the retrofitted luminaires by 50%, while the streets remained well lit. Residents, the private sector, and other city governments were also enjoined to replicate the initiative in their own communities.
Results
The project optimized the Java–Bali energy distribution network, starting with an increase of 600,000 in the number of customers served, the reduction of distribution losses (which went from 7% in 2013 to 6% in 2016), and growth in electricity sales (47% increase between 2009 and 2015, or roughly 950 gigawatt-hours per year). Likewise, power interruptions per 100 km of line were more than halved, from 17.7 in 2013 to 8.5 in 2016. Overall, the project also managed to yield 1.17 million tons of annual reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.