PLN's Batam lacks electricity supply of 60 MW

State electricity company PT PLN's Batam branch is tendering an electricity project for domestic and foreign investors to supply PLN with 60 megawatt of electricity to meet the increasing demand for electricity on the island.

A commissioner of PLN Batam, Wendi Aritonang, said that PLN would buy the electricity from the investors and then distribute it to PLN customers on Batam island and its surrounding area.

"The investors will just build the generators, while the supporting facilities and the location would be provided by PLN," Wendi said.

Currently, there are some domestic and foreign investors interested in building a power plant on Batam. Foreign investors interested in the projects include those from United States, Britain and Germany.

Nevertheless, Wendi could not yet disclose the value of the project.

"What certain is that, it would depend on the value offered by bidders, especially the one offered by the winner," he said.

In addition, PLN was still conducting feasibility study to build a separate power plant for Galang island.

Wendi added that the tendering for Batam's power plant would be conducted in line with the tendering of gas supply from Asam Merah's gas field on Sumatra mainland to Singapore, whose piping line would pass Batam.

"If the gas supply from Asam Merah would be realized, the main energy plan for Batam would be modified by the Batam Authority according to this new development," Wendi said.

With the gas piping pile passing Batam, Wendi said, the Batam Authority could consider using gas as the source of energy for Batam if demand for energy continued to rise. (*)