Coal particles cause outages

BANJARMASIN, South Kalimantan: The state electricity company (PLN) says the frequent power outages in the city these past few months were caused by coal particles from a nearby coal terminal, Antara reported.

Syaiful Ibrahim, the chief of the PLN Office, said the particles have interrupted the Barito diesel-fuel power plant.

He warned that unless something was done, all South Kalimantan could be affected as the Barito plant supplied about 80 percent of the province's power needs.

He said when the plant was built in 1980s, the coal terminal did not exist.

This was an empty area when PLN came, he said. But in the last two years, several coal terminals have been established along the Barito river banks, he said. (emb)