Austindo seeks higher electricity tariff from biogas power plant
Tuesday, April 4 2017 - 01:54 AM WIB
Courtesy of Austindo
Power company PT Austindo Aufwind New Energy, a subsidiary of IDX-listed palm oil company PT Austindo Nusantara Jaya Tbk, has proposed to state-owned electricity firm PT PLN for upward revision of tariff of electricity from its biogas power plant in Bangka Belitung Province, Bisnis Indonesia reported on Tuesday.
The paper quoted Imam Wahyudi, Head of Renewable Energy Business Development at Austindo, as saying that the recent introduction of a new Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Regulation No 12/2017 which sets electricity tariff from renewables power plant at 85 percent of the so-called regional electricity supply cost (or regional BPP) where the plant is located opens opportunity for an increase in the electricity tariff of the 1.8 MW Jangkang Belitung biogas power plant.
The electricity from the Jangkang Belitung biogas power plant, which started operation in 2013, currently stands at Rp 975 per kWh. Meanwhile, the regional BPP in Bangka Belitung currently stands at Rp 1,900 per kWh, which means that based on the new policy, the power tariff of the Jangkang Belitung power plant can be raised up to Rp 1,615 per kWh.
Imam said that Austindo is currently in discussions with the Bangka Belitung regional office of the state-owned electricity firm PT PLN, which buys the electricity output.
Meanwhile, the paper quoted General Manager of PLN?s Bangka Belitung regional office, Susiana Mutia said that the company has yet to decide whether to approve the Austindo request or not. She said that the company agree to increase the power tariff of the Jangkang Belitung biogas power plant, but not as much as demanded by the company. ?Probably 60 or 70 percent of the BPP,? she said. (*)