PLN needs more fuel supply this year

State-owned electricity company PLN will need extra fuel supply of about 220,000 kiloliters this year due to the operation of a number of diesel power generators to cope with electricity shortage in number of areas.

 

PLN's president director Eddie Widiono said in Jakarta Monday that the company would ask the government to pay the expense for the extra fuel needs because they would be used to operate a number of diesel generators to cope with the power shortages in a number of areas.

 

"The government should compensate the expense for the extra power needs because they will be used for public services, "he was quoted as saying.  He said without the operation of the diesel power generators, PLN's fuel needs would reach only between 8 million and 8.5 million this year.

 

Eddie said that PLN has leased a number of diesel generators with total capacity of about 389 megawatts to cope with the power shortages in some 44 areas. The operation of the leased power generators is part of the short-term solution to cope with the power crisis before the fast track program to provide an additional power supply of about 10,000 megawatts in three years until 2009 could be completed.

 

PLN’s director for power production and primer energy Ali Herman said that a number of non-diesel power plants had begun operation this year as part of the fast-track program. They include the Tarahan coal fired power plant in Lampung, with a capacity of 2 x 100 MW, the Lehendong II geothermal power plant in West Java, with a capacity of 20 MW, and the Tanjung Batu gas-fired power plant in East Kalimantan, with a capacity of 20 MW (*)