PLN increases power supply in Java-Bali system

State-owned electricity firm PT PLN has managed to operate two new high voltage power lines, increasing power supply in the Java-Bali system.

The company said in a statement Sunday that on Friday it started the operation of the first of the two-circuit 500 kV high voltage power lines, which distributes electricity from the 660 MW Cilacap Expansion coal-fired power plant located in Cilacap, Central Java, to the Java-Bali system.

The second circuit is expected to start operation in March, it added.

PLN said that on January 20, it operated a 500 kV high voltage power line, linking the PLTU 2 Jateng/Adipala 1x660 MW coal-fired power plant, also in Central Java, with the Java-Bali system.

PLN said that during the past two months, it has also upgrade the capacity of transformers in a number of relay stations to a combined 120 mega volt ampere (MVA), thus increasing the reliability of power supply to customers in the Java-Bali region.

PLN expects power demand in Java-Bali region, where power peak load has reached a record level of 24,258 MW on November 5 of last year, to further increase. Total consumers as of last year have reached 39.04 million.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak