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tate-owned electricity firm PT PLN plans to conduct major rotating blackouts across the island in October to repair a diesel power plant in Gilimanuk.

Spokesman of the company's Bali branch, Agung Mastika said Tuesday that maintenance of the 130-megawatt Gilimanuk power plant was needed to maintain the service level to customers.

Currently, Bali has a total production capacity of 562 megawatts of electricity; average demand is 460 megawatts and peak demand reaches 481 megawatts.

"This means that we have an ample 81 megawatt surplus now but we will have a deficit of 130 megawatts when the maintenance is done in Ocotber," Mastika said.

"The 432 megawatts which will be available during the maintenance works will be far below the average demand."

In addition to the Gilimanuk power plant, Mastika said electricity in the island is supplied by the 152 megawatt Pesanggaran and the 80 megawatt Pemaron diesel power plants and that the Java-Bali interconnection power grid supplies an additional 200 megawatts.

The maintenance is scheduled to take some 40 days, meaning rotating blackouts will be unavoidable across the island, including in provincial capital Denpasar and the tourist-packed Badung regency.

"We will soon announce the blackout schedule to the public so that they can make preparations," Mastika said.

"The public should prepare for a more energy-saving lifestyle ahead of the planned blackouts."

Mastika said that there was a trend of increased electricity usage in the hotter months.

"We assume that the public use their air-conditioners excessively," he said.

"Previously, the average usage was only 450 megawatts but now it reaches 460 megawatts."

Mastika said the increase occurs even though it is the low season for tourism and called on all sectors of the society to save energy.