PLN to hold coal supply tender for mega-power plant project

State electricity firm PLN will announce the opening of the tender to supply 11 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of low-rank coal per annum to supply its proposed 10,000-MW power plant project, a company official said.

Acting Generation Director Fahmi Mochtar told reporters on Tuesday that the tender, which will be opened this week, would compliment the 19 MTPA coal supply it had secured earlier last year.

Fahmi said coal supply would start in 2009, when some of the power plants, which are planned to be built across the archipelago would start operations. Fahmi expected some 1,950 ?MW of the capacity would start operations in 2009, including Labuan 2x300-MW, Indramayu 2x300MW, Rembang 2x300MW all of which are located in Java and Amurang and Gorontalo power plants, each with capacity of 2x25MW and Jiranjang 2x25MW in West Nusa Tenggara.

Despite PLN?s ambition to complete development of the mega-power plants projects, many industry players doubt that the projects would proceed smoothly due to various reasons including financing and technical reasons. Most of the EPC contractors picked to construct the project are Chinese company with unknown or little track record. (bernard)