PLN imposes rotation blackout in Aceh

State owned electricity firm PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) is imposing a rotation blackout in Aceh province as it has been forced to suspend the operation one of its power plant in the province, PLTMG Arun, due to the lack of gas.

PLTMG Arun, a gas engine power plant with a capacity of 184 MW, located in the Arun LNG complex has been forced to stop operation since 10 pm on Sunday due to problem at fuel hose owned by PT Perta Arun Gas (PAG), the subsidiary of state owned oil and gas firm PT Pertamina which operates the Arun regasification terminal. It is the supplier of gas to PLTMG Arun, PLN said in a statement.

Power supplies in the province have been dropped due the incident. Peak load in Aceh reaches 337 MW. Following the incident, PLN now relies on power supplies from PLTU Nagan Raya (56.2 MW), PLTD Leung Bata (20 MW) and supplies from North Sumatra (162 MW). The province now has a total supply of 224 MW, experiencing a deficit of 105 MW.

?PLN apologize to all customers in Aceh. We hope the problem at Pertamina?s gas installation can be fixed as soon as possible so that PLTMG Arun can resume normal operation,? PLN?s spokesperson Agung Murdifi said.

Editing by Johannes Simbolon