Declining water supply threatens W. Java?s Jatiluhur power plant
Thursday, March 27 2003 - 09:14 AM WIB
Jatiluhur hydropower plant in West Java may stop to operate as usual if the water level of area dam continues to drop, Suara Pembaruan daily reported Thursday.
Water surface of the Jatiluhur dam was nine meters below the normal level of 90 meters last week, the paper said.
Less rainfall over the past months had caused a drop in the water level of the Citarum River, West Java?s largest.
The Jatiluhur plant, built in 1967 and operated by state power firm PLN, has capacity to generate 150 megawatts (MW) of electricity.
Meanwhile, the Citarum River also supplies water to PLN?s Cirata and Saguling power plants, also in West Java, which have capacity to generate 1,000 MW and 898 MW of electricity, respectively.
PLN also operates a 3,400-MW steam power plant in Suralaya, West Java. (*)