Coal stock for Suralaya power plant reaches critical level
Saturday, February 24 2001 - 04:30 AM WIB
Coal stocks for coal-powered Suralaya power plant in Merak, Banten, have reached a critical level of 70,000 tons of coal, or enough only for three days of operation, according to the management of PT Indonesia Power that operates the power plant.
Indonesia Power corporate secretary Lili Tjarli Tahlan said that the ideal coal stock level to operate the seven units of the Suralaya power plant should be around 200,000 tons of coal, or enough for six days of operation.
Lili explained that the depleting coal stocks was caused mainly by problems in transporting coals from coal mining sites in Tanjung Enim, South Sumatra, belonging to state coal mining company PT Batubara Bukit Asam (PT BA), to Merak.
The coal from Tanjung Enim is transported through railway to Taraham port in Lampung, from where the coal is loaded to vessels that carry the coal to Suralaya power plant's port in Merak.
PT BA supplies around 70 percent of coals needed by the Suralaya power plant that consumed around 7 million tons of coals per annum.
Indonesia Power, a subsidiary of state electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), buys the remaining coals from other companies, about 1 million ton of coal per annum from PT Kodeco, another 1 million ton from PT Adaro and another 1 million ton from the spot market.
Lili said that if coal supplies did not improve and the stocks continued to deplete, Indonesia Power would use coal crust in its storage. But if the coal crust was still not enough, the company would have to stop the operation of the Suralaya power plant for a while.
"If that happens, PLN will have to increase electricity supplies from its water-powered power plants (to meet electricity demand in Java and Bali)," Lili said, noting that the Suralaya power plant had been the backbone for its Java Bali electricity system. (*)