Java-Bali region prone to blackouts: PLN<\/p>\n
Fitri Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The country's main Java-Bali power grid will continue to run
\nwith thin reserves until April due to the lack of fresh power
\nsupply despite growing power demands, making the region
\nvulnerable to rotating blackouts.<\/p>\n
Basuki Prajitno, general manager of power plants and load
\nmanagement of state-owned electricity firm PT PLN said demand for
\nelectricity had been picking up since early this year.<\/p>\n
\"We project (that the) demand for electricity will reach 800
\nMegawatts (MW), while our existing reserve is only 600 MW,\"
\nBasuki said on the sidelines of a World Energy Council seminar on
\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
He added that in the event that any big power plant
\nencountered technical problems, rotating blackouts would be
\nunavoidable.<\/p>\n
The Java-Bali power grid is pivotal for the country because
\nthe region is the most populated area, where huge manufacturing
\ncompanies operate.<\/p>\n
The Java-Bali power grid has an installed capacity of 18,660
\nMW or 80 percent of the total installed capacity of 21,000 MW in
\nthe country.<\/p>\n
Of the total capacity of the Java-Bali grid, PLN could only
\ndistribute between 13,305 MW to 15,254 MW. The remaining capacity
\nis used for PLN's own operations. The peak load ranges between
\n12,000 MW to 13,250 MW. This leaves a minimum reserve of between
\n145 MW to 1,427 MW.<\/p>\n
In order to avoid any power disruption, PLN needs a minimum
\nreserve of 615 MW.<\/p>\n
Power demand has been growing by seven percent annually or
\nhigher than the growth of the country's Gross Domestic Product
\n(GDP) of around 4 percent.<\/p>\n
Basuki said by the end of April, fresh power supply was
\nexpected to come from the Muara Tawar power plant. It would
\nprovide an additional 840 MW.<\/p>\n
Next year, additional power supply is expected to come from
\nthe coal-fired Cilacap power plant in Central Java which has a
\ncapacity of 600 MW.<\/p>\n
\"The (power supply) condition will deteriorate if we don't get
\nnew supply from Cilacap because the existing capacity is barely
\nenough to meet demands,\" Basuki said.<\/p>\n
The Cilacap power plant is one of 26 independent power
\nproducers where projects were suspended in 1997.<\/p>\n
Last year, the government managed to renegotiate with the
\nindependent power producers. Around 14 of them agreed to restart
\ntheir projects, seven agreed to terminate their projects,
\nincluding Cilacap power plant. The remaining projects were
\nacquired by PLN and state oil-and-gas firm Pertamina.<\/p>\n
The government has received financing from the Bank of China
\nto restart construction of the Cilacap plant.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/java-bali-region-prone-to-blackouts-pln-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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