Suralaya power station shuts down two of its seven plants

The Suralaya power station in Merak, West Java has shut down two of its power generating units due to technical problem, causing a sharp decline in the power supply into the Bali and Java distribution network, Neraca daily reported.

Basuki Prayitno, the head for state power company PLN?s distribution and load management (P3B) said the shutdown of the two generators on Sept 24 on Sept 25 had caused a drop in the power supply by about 800 MW.

?The existing power plants are still unable to replace the operation of the two power generating units,? he added.

He said that the power company was forced to cut the power supply to certain areas in West Java particularly during the peak hours between 6 p.m. to 10 p.m due to the lower power supply.

According to Basuki, the damage occurred on the box control of the two power units. ?There was a damage in the box control but it had been repaired,? he said.

He denied some speculation that the closure of the two power units was due to the lack of coal supply. He said that the existing coal stock was enough to feed the seven power generating units operated by the Suralaya power station. (*)