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Blackouts avoidable if load drops: PLN
State electricity firm PT PLN canceled rotating blackouts planned for Jakarta and Tangerang on Monday and Tuesday, but urged the service industry to lower consumption to guarantee there would be no blackouts in the coming days
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State electricity firm PT PLN canceled rotating blackouts planned for Jakarta and Tangerang on Monday and Tuesday, but urged the service industry to lower consumption to guarantee there would be no blackouts in the coming days.
PLN distribution manager Widodo Budi Nugroho said Tuesday electricity was being supplied from power plants in Tanjung Priok and Muara Karang, both in North Jakarta, as well as a substation in Gandul, South Jakarta.
The substation, he said, supplied electricity from the Java-Bali grid to Jakarta and Tangerang.
"We had no blackouts on Monday or Tuesday, but electricity consumption from the Muara Karang power plant and the Gandul substation reached worrying levels, particularly on Monday," he told The Jakarta Post.
He said electricity consumption reached 1,330 megawatts (MW) at 11 a.m. and 1,352 MW at 2 p.m., on Monday, while it hit 1,273 MW at 11 a.m. and 1,275 at 2 p.m., on Tuesday.
The Muara Karang power plant and the Gandul substation are currently able to supply a maximum total of 1,360 MW, according to Budi.
"If people want to feel safe from blackouts, our big consumers, such as malls, office buildings, factories and luxury houses have to save power again like they did last Friday," he said.
He said that at 11 a.m. last Friday, PLN recorded Jakarta and Tangerang consuming 1,245 MW of electricity supplied from the Muara Karang power plant and the Gandul substation.
Budi said last Friday customers in 23 different service areas managed to save a total of 130 MW.
Despite lower electricity consumption, PLN implemented rotating blackouts last week from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
"PLN will be forced to do rotating blackouts tomorrow (Wednesday) if electricity consumption is still as high as during the last two days," he said.
Possible blackouts would be carried out to save between 30 and 40 percent of electricity supply, he said, while declining to disclose affected areas and schedules, saying there would only be a "few areas".
"Possible blackouts are meant to keep our whole system from becoming paralyzed because of being overload," Budi said.
He said earlier PLN was forced to schedule the rotating blackouts because the gas supply to two of its power stations -- the 900 MW plant in Tanjung Priok and the 750 MW plant in Muara Karang -- would be suspended.
The two power stations receive their gas from multinational energy giant BP, which will suspend gas supplies for two weeks for routine maintenance of its central flow station located off West Java. The maintenance includes the installation of a low-pressure flare tip.
PLN Jakarta and Tangerang distribution general manager Purnomo Willy earlier said PLN had to replace gas with fuel to operate the two plants "but they generate 150 MW less than the required amount".
Customers affected by the power cuts will get a 10 percent discount on their July bills, he said.
