Power crisis to continue until 2009: PLN

The power crisis now hitting Java and Bali will continue at least until after some of power plants currently being built under the so called power 10,000 MW crash program begin operation in 2009, state-owned electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) said.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, PLN?s Vice President Rudiantara said that the sharp increase in the power demand in during the past several years had far exceeded the growth in the power supply.

The high growth rate in the power demand which reached 6.8 percent during the first quarter of this year had forced PLN to lower the reserved power supply to 25 percent from the required 40 percent, he said.

With this condition, any interruption in power production in any of the firm's power plants would easily cause the power supply to suffer a deficit especially during peak hours, Rudiantara said in the press conference.

Meanwhile, PLN's Director Java Bali Murtaqi Syamsuddin said that the Muara Tawar and Tambak Lorok power plants located in Bekasi and Semarang respectively had resumed normal operations on Friday. "PLN is making an apology on the problem occurred. Upon good coordination from Pertamina, the fuel supply has been back to normal and starting from June, we will get gas supply for Muara Tawar," he said

PLN also got additional 600 MW power supply from Paiton Unit VIII in East Java since Friday, he said. (*)