VIVAnews - Jakarta’s electricity deficit might increase due to the upcoming maintenance of Offshore Northwest Java (ONWJ) that supplies gas to two Steam and Gas Based Power Plants (PLTGU) in Jakarta which are the PLTGU Muara Karang and PLTGU Tanjung Priok.
Therefore, the State Electricity Firm (PLN) is preparing measures to overcome electricity deficit in Jakarta caused by the temporary termination of the generators.
“We’ll try to avoid power cut,” PLN President Director Fahmi Mochtar said at the office of Coordinating Minister for the Economy in Jakarta on Thursday, November 19.
He also said PLN has at least two options which include managing electricity supply properly to the customers to allow equal distributions and operating oil-fueled generators despite the high costs.
Currently, gas supply for PLTGU Muara Karang and Tanjung Priok are 130 mmscfd. The gas is distributed by the ONWJ owned by PT Pertamina Hulu Energi. During the block maintenance, Mochtar said the gas would not be sent at all which would also stop the generators from operating.
The maintenance is planned to be taking place from December 24, 2009 to January 1, 2010 as requested by PLN. Earlier, Pertamina’s subsidiary was planning to do the maintenance from November 16 to 23.
PLN also revealed that they are analyzing new contracts with gas producers to cater the needs of its generators. The options of gas supplier still depend on the LNG Receiving Terminal project on Jakarta Bay and the Donggi Senoro LNG project.
Until now, the power deficit in Jakarta, which is up to 130 megawatt, has been an issue.
Although it is only 2.5 percent compared to Jakarta’s highest electrical load of 5200 megawatt, the deficit has been resulted in alternating blackout in most of the areas of Jakarta.
The deficit was initially caused by the fire in one of the transformers at Cawang’s relay station in East Jakarta on September 29, 2009. The glitch shut most of Jakarta down, including the office buildings on Jalan Sudirman.
Jakarta is still dealing with the issue until today and PLN has promised to have completed the transformers repair by mid December.
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Translated by: Nataya Ermanti
