Medco's subsidiary shuts down one unit of Batam?s power plant

Publicly listed oil and gas company PT Medco Energi Internasional announced Monday that its subsidiary PT Mitra Energi Batam (MEB), the operator of the 55-megawatt (MW) Panaran gas fuel power plant in Batam, had temporarily shut down one of two turbine generators of the power plant due to a technical problem.

?The gas turbine generator was shut down because the control panel showed trouble in certain equipments. After being checked, it was found that the thrust bearing had broken down,? Medco said in a statement to the Jakarta Stock Exchange.

Medco said the Roll Royce?s technician, the gas turbine generator builder, was currently conducting an overall evaluation. ?They predict that the gas turbine generator will be back in operation at the end of October,? Medco added.

As a result of the shutdown, the power supply to the Batam island and its surrounding areas was down by 27.5 MW. State-owned electricity firm PT PLN has operated its diesel power plant on the island to make up the supply.

MEB is a joint venture of PT Medco Energi Menamas and PT PLN YPK, a subsidiary of PLN. (Robert)