Suralaya-Balaraja ?SUTET? to strengthen Java-Bali system

State-owned electricity firm PT PLN has started the operation of two circuits of the 500 KV high voltage transmission (SUTET) from Suralaya to Balaraja since Thursday, Nov.10, 2016.

PLN announced in a press release on Thursday that with the operation of the two, PLN has now five transmission circuits used to channel electricity from the power plants in Suralaya to the areas of peak loads in Jakarta and industrial areas in Banten.

The company?s Western Java Regional Director Murtaqi Syamsuddin and Central Java Regional Director Nasri Sebayang had closed the 'circuit breaker' in the sub-station of Balaraja, marking the operation of the two circuits of high voltage transmission.

Murtaqi said that the addition of the two circuits is very important to strengthen the Java-Bali power system, as the two will increase the current total capacity from 4,000 MW to 5,500 MW.

He said that the transmission circuits have a total length of 68 km, supported by 172 units of supporting towers. All of the facilities were built by national contractors, with a total investment of Rp 514 billion which was financed from internal budget of PLN.

According to him, the project had been developed since 2008. It has taken a longer time than expected due to technical problem, land problem and social problem. But the application of the law no. 2/2012, and the presidential regulation (Perpres) no.4/2016 had made PLN easier to accelerate the development. The new additional transmission will function to evacuate power from the power plants that will start operation since 2017, including the 600 MW coal-fired power plant being built by PT Listrik Banten Energi.

Editing by Benget Besalicto ST.