Indonesia's state-run electricity company PLN will host a tender for bidders interested in the construction of 30 coal-fired power plants with a combined capacity of 3,100 MW later this month.

The 30 power plants located on islands other than Java are expected to operate in two to three years from now, the company's representative Yogo Pratomo said here Thursday.

The huge projects are part of the national electricity program to expand output capacity by 10,000 MW in 2009, he said.

The whole project is estimated to cost 2.5 billion U.S. dollars.

PLN has earlier issued international bonds worth 1 billion dollars to fund the construction of 10 coal-fired power plants in Java.

Meanwhile, a consortium of China's Shanghai Electric Group Co. Ltd. and local firm PT Truba Alam Manunggal Engineering has won contracts to build two coal-fired power plants in Lampung and North Sumatra.

The projects cost 60 million dollars in Lampung and 200 million in North Sumatra.

The construction will be completed in 2009, Shanghai Electric Vice President Zhu Bin said in a press conference here.

Source: Xinhua