PLN to operate plants using diesel fuel to secure supply
PLN to operate plants using diesel fuel to secure supply
Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
State firm PT PLN will use diesel fuel to operate its two of its
power plants to ensure Java and Bali electricity supplies are
stable when the Muara Tawar gas field goes off-stream.
PLN would produce only 800 megawatts (MW) from the Karang and
Tanjung Priok plants for 14 days, about half of their capacity,
the firm's director of power plants and primary energy generation
Ali Herman Ibrahim said in the city on Monday.
"(However) such a level of production is enough to secure
supplies," he said.
Fears of power supply disruptions emerged as BP announced
plans to shut down all operations and conduct a massive overhaul
-- the first in 30 years of operation -- to repair all damaged
infrastructure at Muara Tawar.
The overhaul is scheduled to begin on May 23 and is expected
to last for two weeks.
It was earlier reported that the Java-Bali grid could
experience a shortage of up to 700 MW at peak times if the Karang
and Tanjung Priok plants were forced to shut down because of a
lack of gas.
BP supplies some 260 million cubic feet of gas per day to the
plants, which have a combined capacity of 1,500 MW. However, as
both stations use combined-cycle technology, they can also be
operated using diesel fuel.
"But when they use fuel, they cannot operate at maximum
(capacity)," Ali said.
PLN will need almost 90,000 tons of diesel fuel from state oil
and gas firm PT Pertamina for the overhaul period.
"To produce one megawatt of power, we need eight tons of
fuel," said Ali.
The state firm paid back Rp 600 million (US$63,157) of what it
owed state fuel Pertamina this month and has promised to pay
another Rp 200 million by the end of April.
PLN has planned to reduce its use of oil to less than 5
percent by 2006, by phasing out its diesel-powered generators to
be replaced by combined-cycle coal- and gas-fired plants.
A lack of gas, however, has forced PLN to switch to fuel oil
to run many of its combined-cycle power plants at a lower
capacity.