Suralaya cuts coal shipment due to oversupply

State-owned electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) has reduced coal shipment for Suralaya coal-fired power plant in Banten because the plant has more than enough stocks, Kompas reported Thursday.

?PLN has asked Indonesia Power (IP) (the operator of Suralaya) to reduce coal stocks. The coal supply has to be cut down because the plant has no more place to keep the stock,? PLN?s chief commissioner Alhilal Hamdi said in Jakarta on Wednesday.

According to him, the current coal stocks have reached about 2.6 million tons, or enough for 46 days of the plant?s operation. Normally, the coal stock is maximally kept for 30 days of operation.

PLTU Suralaya?s major coal suppliers include PT Tambang Batubara Bukit Asam (PTBA), PT Adaro and PT Berau Coal.

Alhilal said that PLN had also asked for the rescheduling of coal shipment for Suralaya.

He said that PTBA had for example been asked to cut down its coal shipment to 100,000 tons from the initial commitment of between 300,000 and 400,000 tons. ?The shipment for the rest will be delayed until next year,? he said.

According to IP?s president director Agus Mulyantono said that the company kept coal supply for Suralaya higher than the normal level to avoid power supply interruption during the recent legislative and presidential elections also bad weather. (*)