ConocoPhillips gas pipe maintenance may affect PLN Batam?s operation
Saturday, June 2 2012 - 01:43 AM WIB
ConocoPhillips? plan to carry out maintenance works on its gas pipeline from June 1 to 14 may affect gas supply to PLN Batam, and in turn could reduce its power generation capacity.
PLN Batam said that a reduction of gas supply from PGN would decrease its power generation capacity, a condition that could potentially result in addtional power shortage of further 40 Megawatt. But it will depend on actual volume of gas supplied by PGN.
At present PLN Batam has to impose a rotating blackout around Batam areas due to technical problems at the generator of the Panaran power plant. PLN Batam has tried to reduce the impact of the power supply shortage from Panaran by buying excess power of other companies of about 19.5 MW.
PLN Batam said that it has been also intensively conducting a trial operation of the Tanjung Kasam combined-cycle power plant?s unit I, which has a capacity of 55 MW. However, it was still unable to rely on the power supply from the new plant because its operation was still unstable.
?We hope it will be able to be in full scale operation soon. But we also encourage the general public to save the use of electricity,? said M. Tagor EB. Sidjabat, Technical Director of PLN Batam.
Editing by Benget Besalicto Tnb.