PJB needs US$530 million to upgrade Muara Karang power plant

PT Pembangkit Jawa Bali (PJB), a subsidiary of state owned electricity company PLN, will need at least US$530 million in new investment to renovate and upgrade the combined cycle Muara Karang power plant, Bisnis Indonesia reported on Friday.

Bagio Riawan, PJB's Production Director, said in Jakarta on Thursday that about US$400 million of the total funds would be used for rejuvenation works and the other US$130 million for capacity upgrading.

The Muara Karang power plant, which is located in Muara Karang, North Jakarta, operates five units of power generators, each with a capacity of 100 MW.

Bagio said that the rejuvenation was needed so that the existing power generators would be able to operate for another five years. "The power generators have all reached their maximum lifetime of 20 years," he added.

According to him, the unit I, II and III would be upgraded so that they would be able to produce 700 MW of power supply. "The unit I and V will only undergo a rejuvenation work," he added. (*)