Cilacap power plant in critical condition

The 2 x 300 MW Cilacap coal-fired power plant in Central Java has been in critical condition during the past several days as high sea has interrupted coal shipment from Kalimantan.

The plant which needs at about 2,500 tons of coal a day to feed each of its two turbines has been forced to operate only one of its turbines due to the limited coal stocks, the plant?s field manager Sutikno said on Tuesday.

The plant received coal supply of 13,394 tons through the Cilacap port on June 6, and about 7,000 tons through the company?s special port on June 13. While the next supply is expected to arrive on June 23 as the high sea will likely continue to disrupt shipment within the next few days.

The decline in the power supply from the Cilacap power plant has worsened the power supply condition in the Java and Bali grid during the last two days.

Meanwhile, PLN's Director Java Bali Murtaqi Syamsuddin said that the power shortage for Java-Bali grid system has declined to 800 MW from 1,200 MW a day before after Paiton power plant in East Java has come into operation at full capacity.

PLN earlier said that the sixth unit of the Suralaya plant in Merak, Banten has been unable to operate since Monday, also due to the delay in the coal shipment. The eighth unit of the Paiton power plant in East Java could not be also operated on the same days due to a technical problem. (godang)