Suralaya power unit joins Java-Bali grid
Suralaya power unit joins Java-Bali grid
JAKARTA (JP): The Suralaya power station's fifth unit in Cilegon, West Java, has been connected to the Java-Bali electricity grid, adding another 600 megawatts of power.
The connection was opened yesterday by state electricity company PT PLN president Djiteng Marsudi at the Suralaya power station.
Djiteng said the power station's fifth unit, with a 600- megawatt capacity, was the country's biggest power plant.
Other power units could only produce 400 megawatts, he said, adding that the new unit would start operating fully next February.
With the fifth unit, the Java-Bali network's power had risen to 12,000 megawatts, said Muhardjono, PLN director for projects in West Java and Jakarta.
"This connection has taken place at the right time because Indonesia is going to hold general elections this year. With the operation of the fifth unit, PLN can feel more sure about its power supply capability," Muhardjono said.
The Suralaya coal-fired power station plans to install seven power units.
The first and second power units, each with 400-megawatt capacity, started operating in 1984. The third and fourth power units, each with 400-megawatt capacity, opened in 1989.
The sixth and seventh units are under construction. The sixth unit, with a 600-megawatt capacity, is scheduled to begin operating next August. The seventh unit, with a 600-megawatt capacity, is scheduled to begin operating in February 1998.
Muhardjono said PLN invested Rp 3.1 trillion (US$1.3 billion) in the fifth, sixth and seventh units with funding from the Asian Development Bank, World Bank and government.
He said nine foreign contractors, including Mitsubishi and Babcock and Wilcock, and four local contractors had built the fifth power unit with 4,500 workers.
PLN buys coal for its first four units from state coal miner PT Tambang Batubara Bukit Asam for Rp 67,000 a ton.
There was a tender to supply coal to the fifth, sixth and seventh units. The price for them is Rp 54,000 a ton.
Djiteng said the Suralaya power station needed eight million tons of coal a year with the fifth unit. It would need 12 million tons of coal when all seven units start operating. (jsk)