PLN needs additional gas supply of 75 MMCFD in 2009
Tuesday, September 16 2008 - 02:09 AM WIB
PLN?s Head of Primary Energy Division, Nasri Sebayang said in Jakarta on Monday that if the company could raise gas supply by about 75 MMCFD next year, the company?s diesel oil need could be reduced by 1 million kiloliters to 7.9 million kiloliters from 8.9 million kiloliters at present.
He said that the additional gas requirement would be used to supply the Tanjung Priok combined cycle power plant in North Jakarta and a gas-fired power plant in the Block A, Aceh.
?Of the additional gas need, about 60 MMCFD will be supplied to the Tanjung Priok power plant and the remaining 15 MMCFD for the Aceh power plant,? he said after attending a hearing between the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry with the House of Representatives? Commission VII.
Nasri said that the company?s other major gas fired power plant, the Muara Tawar plant in Bekasi, no longer had any problem with the gas supply as state owned gas distributor PT Perusahaan Gas Negara (PGN) had agreed to provide up to 200 MMCFD of gas supply for the power plant with an option to increase the supply by 100 MMCFD. Aside from PGN, the power plant will also receive a gas supply of 30 million standard cubic feet per day from state owned oil adn gas company PT Pertamina.
According PLN?s data, the company needs about 1,595 billion British thermal unit (BTU) per day to run the company?s 13 combined cycle power plants. As the company has only been able to get gas supply of only 889 billion BTU per day, the company?s 10 power plants still experience a gas supply shortage of 731 billion BTU per day.
During the hearing, the House members proposed to the government to maintain the electricity subsidy at Rp 60.43 trillion next year, even if the cut in the diesel oil use by 1 million kiloliters would result in the reduction of the subsidy to Rp 58.44 trillion. (*)