Shipment problem affects coal supply to Suralaya power plant

The government's recent decision to reduce the supply of diesel oil for sea transportation could seriously affect the supply of coal to the Suralaya plant in Banten, Investor Daily reported on Wednesday.

M. Bambang Susianto, the general manager of Indonesia Power , the operator of the Suralaya power plant, said in Jakarta on Tuesday that the reduction of the diesel oil supply had begun to affect coal shipment from its main coal supplier PT Tambang Batubara Bukit Asam (PTBA) in South Sumatra.

"The coal supply from PTBA had declined by 10 percent due to the shipment problem," he said. Bambang estimated the oil shortage problem would further worsen the coal supply to the 3400-megawatt power plant in the coming months.

The decline in the coal supply has seriously affected the Suralaya plant's existing coal stocks. According to Bambang, the power plant's coal stocks are enough only for eight days. Normally, the coal stocks should be enough for 21 days.

The lack of fuel supply has forced the government to reduce the fuel allocation to the country's major diesel oil buyers. The diesel oil supply for the operator of ships carrying out coal from Sumatra has for example be reduced by 50 percent. (*)