"China pushes ahead with Indonesia's largest hydro-plant project" 31 August 2022

A local affiliate of Power Construction Corp. of China, or PowerChina, has started construction on its long-delayed 9-gigawatt hydroelectric plant in the Indonesian portion of Borneo island, with plans to also develop green industries in the area.

Kayan Hydro Energy (KHE) is building road access to sites for the Kayan Cascade project along the Kayan River in Borneo's North Kalimantan Province. Currently, there is no way to access the sites by road so the company says it has to transport heavy equipment via river boat.

Several small warehouses along the planned roads will house explosives used to blast through rocky terrain and to construct a diversion channel for river flows. Company executives say they are awaiting final approval from Indonesia's National Police before explosives can be brought in and used.

"After we're done blasting the diversion channel, which will [start] early next year, then we'll begin construction of the body of the dam," said KHE director for operations Khaerony in comments to reporters on Sunday at the proposed site of the first dam -- a two-and-a-half-hour boat ride from Tanjung Selor, the capital of North Kalimantan.

The Kayan Cascade project will eventually comprise five dams with a combined power generation capacity of 9 gigawatts, which would make it Southeast Asia's largest hydroelectric station. The project is expected to cost $17 billion and scheduled to be fully up and running by 2035. [...]