Pertamina provides additional fuel to PLN

State-owned oil and gas firm PT Pertamina has delivered 34,000 kiloliters of additional fuel to state electricity firm PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) for power plants that are facing fuel scarcity, the Koran Tempo newspaper reported in its Monday edition.

PLN had stopped the operation of the gas-fired power plant at Muara Tawar in Bekasi since Saturday due to the lack of fuel. From the six units at the plant, only two were operating on Saturday. But after several hours, the plant decided to stop the operations of the two, which lead to the rotational black outs in certain areas.

Pertamina?s spokesman M. Harun said the 34,000 kiloliters of fuel was deliverd by oil tanker MT Serang Jaya from Semangka Bay in Lampung on Saturday and reached the same day at Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta.

The additional fuel, according to Harun, is above the agreed quota of 8.5 million kiloliters of fuel for PLN. It means the price of this additional supply will be Rp 4,400 per liter (not the subsidized price of Rp 2,200). Pertamina will provide additional supply but both parties are still negotiating the price.

PLN?s P3B general manager Muljo Adji said with the additional supply of fuel, the Muara Tawar plant can now four power generating units. Yet PLN ?s capacity to supply electricity is limited because the coal-fired Suralaya power plant is still under repair. (*)