A new 220-MW Rantau Dedap geothermal powerplant is currently under development in south Sumatra, Indonesia. PT Kharisma Wicaksana Mandiri, a Palembang-based heavy equipment contractor, is supporting construction works on the project with the help of a Volvo EC200D crawler excavator.
The EC200D is loading soil into dump trucks and despite the challenging tropical woodlands and wet weather conditions, the machine can still move around 1,000 cu m of material in each 10-hour shift.
The EC200D is powered by a Volvo D5E Tier 3 engine that delivers 123 kW at 2,000 rpm. Coupled with compatible hydraulics, the machine is designed to operate quickly and with short cycle times. It is configured with a 5.7 m boom, 2.9 m arm and 0.8 cu m bucket, while maximum breakout force is 116 kN.
PT Kharisma Wicaksana Mandiri purchased the EC200D from a local dealer, PT Indotruck Utama, one of Volvo’s two distribution partners in Indonesia. The machine is scheduled to remain on the Rantau Dedap project for another three years.
The new geothermal powerplant will be operated by Supreme Energy, in partnership with French electric utility company Engie and Japanese investment conglomerate Marubeni Corporation.
In north Sumatra, a 510-MW hydroelectric powerplant along the Batang Toru River in Sipirok will also soon be under construction. Two Volvo EC200Ds are currently preparing the site to enable construction materials and equipment to reach the project site.
Working between 8 to 10 hours daily, the machines excavate trenches and fill embankments to prepare the land and construct a road toward the planned powerplant, which is owned by North Sumatera Hydro Energy.
Used by equipment rental company Mutiara Batang Toru CV, which is also a contractor on the project, the EC200Ds move over 800 t of clay and soil every day to complete road works within a tight three-month schedule.
The excavators offer features ideal for general construction work in tropical environments like Indonesia. For example, they boast an air-conditioned all-weather cab with intermittent windscreen wipers to reduce downtime in light showers. The inter-changeable buckets can also lift rain-soaked material such as wet sand, clay and earth with densities of up to 2 t / cu m.
Mutiara Batang Toru CV – which purchased the EC200D from PT. Indotruck Utama - expects to continue using both EC200Ds on the hydroelectric powerplant project until 2023.
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