Selasa 16 Jul 2019 08:50 WIB

Orangutans that awaited by people in Batang Toru

Batang Toru hydropower has biodiversity action plan to ensure of orangutan habitats.

Rep: Puti Almas/ Red: Nur Aini

PT NSHE sedang meninjau site pembangunan PLTA Batang Toru, Sitandiang, Tapsel, Kamis (2/5).

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Batang Toru hydropower plant has a program to maintain habitat connectivity that has been separated before the project is built. Maintaining and securing natural corridors, building arboreal bridges, planting feed trees, and supporting government plans in the construction of corridors that connect two blocks of orangutan habitat, the West and East Blocks were among of those programs.

"We have invited experts to build this arboreal bridge," Agus added.

Koesnadi Wirasaputra, one of the initiators of the community-based orangutan conservation training, said that in the past year, people are involve. There are organizational assistance programs, forest ecosystem education, water conservation and habitat.

"So far the community has had conservation behaviors, just to strengthen them," said Koesnadi.

PT NSHE and BBKSDA also invite the community to enrich orangutans habitat. They planted the trees that could become orangutan's feed. It is expected that with more trees, the community will not feel disadvantaged when the orangutans consume the fruit of the trees.

Batang Toru hydropower plant is expected to operate in 2022. Its energy supply reaches 2,124 GWh annually, which contributes to 15 percent of North Sumatra's peak load needs, at 18.00-24.00 WIB (Indonesia West Standard Time).

This hydropower plant is also designed to serve peak loads with a capacity of 510 MW which is produced from four turbines driven from hydropower from a 90 hectare daily pool. There is no reservoir in Batang Toru hydropower plant.

For the availability of water in the DAM, river water will be stored once or twice a month, depending on the available water debit. After operating, at peak load, the total water needed for six hours is 3.4 million cubic meters. However, because water also flows, there is a half reduction of around 2 million cubic meters which will be filled for 18 hours.

The steps will not lead the river to drought. Hydroelectric power plants have a discharge limit of 45 cubic meters per second. If it enters dry days or below 45 cubic meters of discharge, then all water will flow. In addition, the affected river, the Batangtoru River, will get a flow of water from the DAM plus the tributaries.