Electricity supply from N. Sulawesi?s hydro power plants plunge by 50%
Saturday, November 15 2003 - 02:47 AM WIB
The electricity produced by the Tonsea Lama and Tanggari hydro power plants in Minahasa Regency, North Sulawesi, has now dropped to about 50 percent of the plants' existing capacity due to a continued decline in the water level of the Tondano Lake, Kompas reported on Saturday.
The daily said that the electricity supply to Manado and the province's three regencies such as Minahasa, Bitung and Temohon from the hydropower plants had dropped to 20 megawatts (MW) at present, less than a half of the installed capacity of 54 MW.
At present, the water level at the lake is only about 1.5 meter, far lower than normal level of 2.6 meter.
Harry Lumentut, the spokesman for the local office of the state-owned electricity company PLN blamed the worsening of the condition of the local forests on the drop in the water level of the local lake and rivers.
According to him, electricity blackout could not be avoided due to the lack of the power supply. (*)