Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika officially recommended on Tuesday that a geothermal energy project in Bedugul be scrapped, opting for an alternative power source.

Pastika said exploration for the geothermal project should cease in favor of the Bali Crossing project, in which Bali would get power from Java via an aerial cable.

He said results from exploration at three sites in Bedugul were not fruitful and had led to the destruction of four hectares of protected forests. “It’s difficult to green-light the continued destruction of what little forests we have left in Bali,” he said.

Pastika said another reason for his recommendation was that the areas in question were regarded as holy sites by Balinese Hindus and contained 30 temples.

Earlier this month, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik and members of House of Representatives Commission VII, overseeing energy affairs, flew to Bali to meet with Pastika about the Bedugul project. Wacik said it had the potential to generate 165 megawatts of electricity and could solve the island’s energy shortage.

“Electricity from a local geothermal plant would cost 9 US cents per kilowatt hour, much cheaper than the present cost of 40 cents per kilowatt hour,” Wacik said at the time.

Bali’s Governor Pulls Plug on Bedugul Geothermal Project | The Jakarta Globe