Java is facing blackout due to lack of coal supplies

State owned electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara called on the public to reduce power consumption as coal stocks at some of the power plants supplying power to the Java-Bali grid have dramatically declined.

"We ask the public to reduce power consumption to prevent blackout," PLN?s General Manager of Java-Bali Power Distribution and Regulation Center Muljo Adjie told Petromindo.com on Tuesday.

He said coal stocks at the Cilacap, Paiton and Tanjung Jati B power plants have dramatically fallen because high tidal waves had hampered vessels to carry coal from coal-producing regions in Kalimantan to Java.

Coal stocks at the 800 MW Paiton coal-fired power plant and the 2x 660 Tanjung Jati B, which are both operated by PLN's subsidiary PT Pembangkit Jawa Bali, are enough for only one day of operation.

"The stocks will be finished on Wednesday," he said.

Meanwhile, the coal stock for the coal-fired 2x300 MW Cilacap power plant in Central Java, PT Sumber Segara Primadaya, has declined sharply to about 20,000 tons or only enough for three days of operation, according to Kompas daily.

The plant's Technical Manager Sutikno said in Cilacap Monday that the coal stock for the power plant had worsened during recent days as all the barges that carried the coal supply for the power plant from Kalimantan had either delayed the shipment or stopped their trips on the way due to the high waves, which hit almost all parts of the Indonesian waters due the past several days.

At least three barges which carried the power plant's coal had been forced to stop in the sea near Yogyakarta and Banyuwangi due to the tidal waves which had surged to as high as 4.5 meters due to the bad weather.

He said that other 10 barges which would carry the coal supply for the power plant from Kalimantan had also delayed their trips due to the bad weather condition.(godang)