PLN moves to improve electricity

PLN moves to improve electricity

M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

State electricity company PT PLN dispatched on Sunday five power
generators to Lhokseumawe, the main city of North Aceh, as part
of its immediate action to mitigate severe power blackouts, and
chronic shortages over the years, in the wake of attacks on the
company's power lines in the area.

PLN president Eddie Widiono said on Sunday that the dispatch
of five power generators was only an initial measure taken by the
company to deal with the long-standing power deficit in the war-
torn province.

"Apart from the five generators sent from Batam (in Riau
province), seven more from Jakarta and West Java will arrive soon
in Aceh. We also have sent a team of 70 PLN personnel to work on
the distribution of power from the new generators," he told
reporters in a press conference here.

A massive power outage occurred in Aceh after an "unidentified
group of people" brought down transmission lines delivering
electricity to Lhokseumawe and Bireuen in North Aceh and Takengon
in Central Aceh.

Aside from areas surrounding the three cities, the provincial
capital Banda Aceh also suffers from frequent power outages as
the generator to supply electricity for the city now has to
provide power for more regions.

Eddie said the five generators -- with a combined capacity of
10 megawatts -- would supply power for some areas in Aceh while
the reconstruction of power lines was still underway.

He said that the reconstruction would last for two weeks to
one month, depending on the pace of improvement in security
conditions.

Eddie said that the company's action might not immediately be
able to replace some 40 megawatts that had been cut off, but it
would give a sense of security to a portion of the population who
had been living in darkness in the last several days.

The PLN's top executive said that, if necessary, the company
would ask for an allocation of up to 10 million metric British
thermal units (MMBTU) of natural gas from Arun liquefied natural
gas (LNG) company as fuel to spin the turbines at its plants in
the province.

"We also plan to buy captive power from Arun," he said,
referring to the rich gas field that produces LNG for the
overseas market only.

If these measures do not prove sufficient, the state
electricity company will rent more power generators with a total
capacity of 20 megawatts to be installed in several towns in
Aceh, especially regency capitals, Eddie said.

With the shipment of the new generators and their maintenance,
and the reconstruction of power lines -- budgeted at around Rp
200 billion (US$24 million) -- the PLN top executive vowed that
the power supply would return to normal within the next two
weeks.