Author: Fabby Tumiwa, Imelda Rambitan and Olivia T

The Cinta Mekar project is a 120-kiloWatt micro-hydro power plant (MHPP) designed to generate a supply of grid-connected electricity. The project is located in Cinta Mekar village, Subang, West Java, which is about 150 km from the capital city of Jakarta. Cinta Mekar, which consists of four sub-villages, is home to 646 families.

Prior to the start of the project, 102 households were without electricity. Based on the survey carried out by UNESCAP, most villagers are poor rice farmers expecting to benefit from being connected to the main power supply. After over two years of preparations, the plant was completed and launched on April 17, 2004.