PLN helps Myanmar to cut power losses
Wednesday, May 29 2013 - 02:52 AM WIB
A memorandum of understanding on the cooperation had been signed on Monday during a visit by Myanmar?s Deputy Minister U Aung Than Oo, who led a delegation of the MOEP Myanmar to Indonesia, visiting a number of facilities and signing the agreement.
The Myanmar delegation will be in Indonesia until the end of this week to visit other power facilities, including combined cycled power plant (PLTGU) Muara Karang, the Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU) in Jakarta bay, and steam power plant (PLTU) Tanjung Jati B in Jepara.
The PLN-MOEP Ccooperation Program Director Harry Hartoyo said on Tuesday that PLN has set up a special team to implement the cooperation of cutting the power losses in Myanmar. ?Initially, the team will focus its effort in Yangoon as its pilot project. Assistances we?ll be giving include reduction of losses, feasibility study, trainings, and designing strategies to improve the efficiency of power facilities.
?Actually, there are many things that we can pursue in our cooperation. Call center, gas supply, power plants, and others. That?s why they come here to get more information. But for now our cooperation only focuses on the reduction of power losses,? he said.
According to him, PLN has targeted that within the next two years it can help Myanmar to reduce the power losses from the current 26 percent to below 20 percent.
PLN is considered successful in cutting losses in Indonesia from two digits to only 9 percent at the end of last year. The 9 percent loss is considered low if compared to other developing countries, such India, which still has 24 percent losses, and Brazil at 16 percent losses.
MOEP of Myanmar hopes that PLN will be able to help them in cutting the losses. ?We in Myanmar are facing the same condition before PLN managed to cut the power losses. But PLN has managed to cut the losses up to 9 percent. Now we hope PLN can help us to do the same in Myanmar,? said Deputy Minister U Aung Than Oo when visiting the Distribution Control Center (DCC) of PLN Jakarta and Tangerang Distribution Service on Monday.
The cooperation between PLN and MOEP is part of the strategic plan pursued by 15 state firms of Indonesia to expand businesses to Myanmar.
Editing by Benget Besalicto Tnb