Update 1: PLN to suspend Muara Tawar due to shortage of fuel

(Adds details on the problems at power plants and more quotations from PLN’s official)

State electricity firm PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) warned on Wednesday of a possible rotation blackout in Java and Bali starting Thursday as it planned to suspend the operation of its 6x140MW Muara Tawar combined cycled power plant in West Java due to shortage of fuel.

“We shall not be able to operate the Muara Tawar power plant on Thursday because the vessel that carries fuel for the power plant has troubles at its unloading facility,” PLN’s general manager of Java-Bali power distribution Muljo Adji said.

He said PLN expected another vessel will come to supply fuel to the power plant on Friday.

The suspension of Muara Tawar will bring power supply on the Java-Bali grid to a critical level as several power plants across Java are still unable to operate due to various reasons.

A unit of the 2x300 MW Cilacap power plant in Central Java has yet to come into operation, while the 740 MW Cilegon power plant in Banten is still shut down due to lack of gas supplies. PT Paiton Energy Company (PEC), which operates a 2x660MW power plant in Paition, Probolinggo, East Java , has also suspended the operation of one unit of the power plant due to a technical problem at its primary air fan. Meanwhile, the 600 MW Unit 5 of the Suralaya power plant in West Java is experiencing a problem at its transformer.

"We are waiting for a certainty from PEC. If the power unit can resume operation tomorrow, the deficit on the Java-Bali power grid will not be significant. Otherwise, there will be a rotation blackout," Muljo said.

Muljo said the Java-Bali grid was expected to experience a deficit of 200 MW during the peak load period on Wednesday evening but PLN would carry out substandard and brownout operations in order to prevent blackout.

On Thursday, the deficit is expected to increase to 500 MW. As such, the public needed to cut consumption in the evening to prevent blackout, Muljo said.

“In order to prevent blackout, we thus ask customers to cut power consumption from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday,” Muljo said. (godang)