Five major projects in West Sumatra for the next five years

Although the Prabowo Subianto government's budget austerity include a Rp81 trillion cut of the Public Works Ministry's budget, a meeting between Indonesian House of Representatives Commission V Deputy Chair Andre Rosiade, Public Works Ministry Infrastructure Financing Director General Triono Joanes Moro, PT Hutama Karya (Persero) or PT HK Operations Director III Kuncoro revealed that West Sumatra Province is expected to see rapid infrastructure development in the next five years.

The five major projects that will be worked on are the Sitinjau Lauik Flyover Phase 1, the Sitinjau Lauik Flyover Phase 2, the Lubuk Begalung-Indarung Flyover and the Anduring-Unand Flyover, the Floating Solar Power Plant (SPP) project on Lake Singkarak, and the Padang-Pekanbaru Toll Road, Sicincin-Bukittinggi Section.

The Sitinjau Lauik Flyover Phase 1 is the first part of the project for the flyover that will connect the cities of Padang and Solok. The first phase wil result in a 2.7 km long flyover in the Panorama 1 area with a budget of Rp2.79 trillion. The auction winner was determined in November 2024, and the project is targeted to be completed in 2027.

After the first phase is completed, the project will continue to the second phase of 4 km with a budget of Rp3 trillion in the Panorama 2 area. The second phase of the project is estimated to start in 2027 and will be equipped with a rest area to avoid disturbances from street vendors, such as those that occurred at the Kelok 9 Flyover.

The Lubuk Begalung-Indarung Flyover and the Anduring-Unand Flyover will be built on the Padang City Bypass Road, which is the economic artery connecting the Port of Teluk Bayur, the Minangkabau International Airport, PT Semen Indonesia (Persero) Tbk subsidiary PT Semen Padang, and Universitas Andalas. Currently, the project is still in the research stage before being communicated to the public.

PT PLN Indonesia Power, a subsidiary of PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (Persero) or PLN, and PT Indo Aqua Tenaga Singkarak will build a floating SPP with an alternate current (AC) capacity of 50 megawatt (MW) on Lake Singkarak, which stretches across Solok Regency and Tanah Datar Regency. This project is worth Rp855 billion and has been designated as a National Strategic Project (PSN).

Meanwhile, the Padang-Pekanbaru Toll Road project will continue to the Sicincin-Bukittinggi section, as the 36.6 km Padang-Sicincin Toll Road is almost complete. This toll road is prioritized because the area where it is built is prone to congestion and natural disasters. The West Sumatra Provincial Government is waiting for state capital injection (PMN) for 2026 to finance the project.