RI to increase electricity purchase from Malaysia: Official
Wednesday, May 18 2016 - 07:18 AM WIB
Indonesia plans to increase electricity import from Malaysia to up to 300 MW from the current 50 MW supply, according to a senior government official.
?Currently, supply is 50 MW and it will be increased up to 300 MW,? said Krisnawan (one name), a senior official at the Directorate General of Electricity in his presentation at the 6th Indonesia Electricity & Independent Power Producer (IPP) Conference held by Petromindo.com on Wednesday. He did not provide the time line.
He said that Indonesia through state-owned electricity firm PT PLN in September 2012 signed an agreement with Malaysia?s Serawak Electricity Supply Corporation (Sesco), under which Indonesia would import 50 MW of electricity from Serawak for West Kalimantan.
As part of the power purchase agreement, Indonesia will export 1,000 MW of power from Sumatra to Malaysia Peninsular. The power supply will be sourced from a 2x1,000 MW mine mouth power plant to be built in Riau, which was targeted to start operation in 2018 or 2019.
Elsewhere, Krisnawan said that the power import from Malaysia has provide benefits including contributing to reducing electricity costs in West Kalimantan, which had in the past relied on costlier diesel plants, and helping to meet local power demand.
He pointed out that diesel consumption of PLN?s plants in West Kaliamtan dropped from 99 percent to 61 percent, reducing the cost of electricity production from Rp 1,900 per kWh to Rp 1,600 per kWh.
"The next electricity interconnection between Indonesia and Malaysia will be Sumatera ?Peninsular Malaysia," he said.
Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak