For the first time since it was chartered in 1997, the PMI® Jakarta, Indonesia Chapter conducted a field trip. On 25 June, Chapter members visited the UNOCAL Geothermal site at Mt. Salak, West Java, Indonesia. Five Chapter officers and 32 other participants traveled to the site, which is located 97 kilometers south of Jakarta and more than 2,000 meters above sea level.
The program not only taught much about project management in theory, but also taught a lot about the field in practice, especially in the area of geothermal projects. The Chapter also collected donations from all members, which will be used for community development programs around the project site. UNOCAL is one of the world’s leading geothermal energy producers, with more than 30 years’ experience in geothermal resource exploration, reservoir delineation and management, and project economics and finance. Unocal also has experience in planning, designing, building and operating private power projects.
The company operates three of the world’s major geothermal electricity projects: Tiwi and Mak-Ban in
the Philippines and Mt. Gunung Salak in Indonesia. Together, these projects have a combined installed electrical generating capacity of 1,100 megawatts. In 2000, UNOCAL’s daily geothermal energy production averaged 16 million kilowatt-hours, or the equivalent of 25,000 barrels of oil. Net proved geothermal reserves at the end of 2000 were the equivalent of 170 million barrels of oil.
UNOCAL began geothermal exploration in Indonesia in 1982 when UNOCAL Geothermal Indonesia (UGI), Pertamina and the state electricity company, PLN, signed the first joint operations and energy sales contracts for geothermal exploration and development. Today, geothermal operations continue at Mt. Salak, where steam is supplied to support 330 MW of generating capacity, including a 165 MW plant operated by an affiliate, Dayabumi Salak Pratama, Ltd.
In 1993, UNOCAL North Sumatra Geothermal, Ltd. signed agreements to explore and develop geothermal resources in the Sarulla contract area on the island of Sumatra. Unocal had identified enough geothermal resource to generate 440 MW of electricity.
As the host of the Chapter visit, UNOCAL Indonesia was represented by Brad Wendt, PMP®, of Production Engineering Department Mr. Wendt made a presentation on project management in the geothermal industry. Chapter President Adi Prasetyo, PMP®, presented information about PMI® and its role as the global advocate for the project management profession.
The event was sponsored by UNOCAL Indonesia, ERICSSON Indonesia, a PMI® Global Chartered Registered Education Provider.
