Eight-Year Dam Delay Hinders Indonesia’s Move Away From Coal

• The 9000MW plant capacity set to be Southeast Asia’s biggest
• Construction of the first dam to only begin next year

Deep in Borneo’s jungle, a $17 billion hydropower project touted as the backbone of Indonesia’s green industry ambition is struggling to take off.

Kayan Hydro Energy, which counts China Power Investment Corp. as an investor, kicked off the project in 2014 at a groundbreaking event attended by top Indonesian military and government officials. Powered by five dams, the plant would supply 9,000 megawatts of electricity to an industrial park being built nearby. It would make it the biggest hydropower plant in Southeast Asia.