Harnessing the Earth's Power to Light Cities

An environment-friendly geothermal plant quietly provides eco-friendly energy to the residents of the capital city of North Sulawesi.

It’s not often that a community can live untroubled with a giant power plant in its midst, belching white, smoke-like clouds into the atmosphere.

But in Manado, the capital city of Indonesian's North Sulawesi province, residents are not worried about the plant’s plume. The clouds are nothing more than environmentally-friendly steam, generated by the Asian Development Bank-supported Lahendong Geothermal Plant, which harnesses earth's power to provide clean, sustainable energy for Manado's residents.

Manado lies along the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an area of frequent volcanic eruptions and seismic activity. There is much to be gained from keeping the city clean and green: it is a renowned international scuba diving destination, and in May 2009, it will host the World Ocean Conference.

Eco-friendly Plant

Plant manager Johanis Ajoni Kalalo knows the value of geothermal energy. “[It is] eco-friendly with a miniscule carbon footprint," he says. "By making use of the earth's steam we don't pollute the air and environment."

Around the plant site, several wells have been drilled 2 kilometers (1.24 miles) into the earth's crust. Searing steam seeps through rocks and is piped to the main station, where it powers giant turbines, each providing 20 megawatts of power.

The churning turbines roar, creating a discernable vibration beneath one’s feet, but beyond the plant's gates, the impact of the operations is almost imperceptible.

"The plant is quiet, clean, and it doesn't bother nearby communities," says Sri Wahyuni, a young chemical analyst at the plant. "The older diesel plants around Manado were noisy, dirty, and generated a lot of community complaints."

"The only real impact from this plant is that it produces jobs, and more reliable electricity," says ADB Project Implementation Consultant Peter Geoghegan.

Abundant Geothermal Energy

ADB is currently supporting the construction of a second geothermal plant in Manado that will be operational by 2011. Along with two other plants financed by other sources, the four geothermal plants will provide most of Manado's base load energy capacity.

"With the abundance of geothermal in this area, we should think about more plants like this," says Mr. Kalalo. "It's more expensive up front, but cheaper and cleaner in the long run."

Manado has long struggled to keep up with growing energy demand, and rolling blackouts still occur across the city each evening.

"A lot of businesses have to have their own diesel generators for blackouts, which costs a lot more, and is worse for the environment," says ADB’s Geoghegan.

With each 20-megawatt plant now providing reliable base load capacity for the city, the power deficit is being reduced.

"Because of ADB's support for this project, 60,000 homes can receive electricity," says Mr. Geoghegan.

For more information, you may go to these websites:

ADB Media Center:

http://www.adb.org/News/manadogeothermal.asp

Youtube Video - Harnessing the Earth's Power to Light Cities - ADB

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYSaVRfQOgg&feature=player_embedded