Mataram, W Nusa Tenggara, Oct 24 (Antara) - State owned power utility company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) said it will build submarine cables, extending the underground cable across the sea to the island Gili Gede, sub-district of Sekotong, regency of Lombok Barat, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) in 2018.



"We are waiting for the network cables . The plan is the cable is to arrive here in December. Implementation, therefore, is delayed. Originally it is to be completed in December 2017," the NTB PLN spokesman Rachmawan Primadya said here on Tuesday.



Rachmawan said the 20 kilo voltage network will extend between Sekotong and Gili Gede land areas across the sea 2.4 circuit kilometer (kms) long.



PLN has set aside Rp23 billion for the project including for land clearing in Sekotong and on the island of Gili Gede as the check points .



"Land clearing in Sekotong has been completed but in Gili Gede land clearing is still in process," Rachmawan said.



The project is to supply power for hundreds of households on the Gili Gede island and to support development of tourism on the island, he said.



So far the households hotels and restaurants in Gili Gede, have used power from diesel power gensets, he said.



"When the cable network has been installed and power could be supplied from PLN power plants the electrification ratio in the West Nusa Tenggara province would increase and power sales of PLN would also increase," he said.



Based on the official record of PLN until end of 2016 the electrification ratio in NTB was 77.68 percent.



PLN has set a target for electrification at 88.5 percent in NTB in 2019. PLN, however, hopes to exceed the target to 95 percent. (*)