The supply of gas to the combined-cycle power plant PLTGU Tambak Lorok in Semarang, Central Java, has been delayed, again, meaning the plant is still unable to recommence operation.

The power plant was initially scheduled to receive gas in July this year, but its supply from the Gundih gas block in Blora area '€” also in Central Java '€” had not been connected so a new schedule was set for late October.

However, October came and went and the plant is still without gas. As such, state owned electricity PLN'€™s head of fuel and gas division Suryadi Mardjoeki said, the new date of Dec. 20 had been set instead.

'€œMoreover, the first supply will only be 10 mmscfd [million standard cubic per day] or 20 percent of 50 mmscfd agreed,'€ Suryadi said.

PLTGU Tambak Lorok , which has the capacity to generate 1,000 megawatts of electricity, was shut down in 2011 after a dozen years of operation as PLN considered the power plant too expensive, due to the use of oil to produce electricity. However, besides oil, the plant was also designed to be able to run on gas.

The power plant has been operated when there has been a disruption in the supply of power. Earlier this year, the plan was used to supplement power needs by PLN after a fire at Cawang substation in Jakarta.

Agus Amperianto, a manager with PT Pertamina EP, which is a subsidiary of PT Pertamina and the operator of the Gundih gas block, said that the gas delivery could not be started as work out in the field had not been completed yet.

'€œThe consortium working on the central processing plant [CPP] project has not finished,'€ Agus said.

The work on the CPP was kicked off in 2011. The winning consortium was PT Inti Karya Persada and state owned PT Adhi Karya. The consortium was contracted to finish the work, which was valued at US$120 million, within 2 years.

'€œOur target is that they will finish by the third week of December,'€ Agus said, adding that the gradual delivery of gas would be adjusted every one month so that the full delivery of 50 mmscfd would be reached in the first half of next year.

The Tambak Lorok power plant will need around 160 mmscfd of gas to operate. Besides gas from Gundih block, the plant will receive gas, 116 mmscfd, from the Kepodang field in Semarang, Central Java.

However, supply from Kepodang field is also uncertain as the gas pipeline development is not yet complete.

The Kepodang gas field at the Muriah block off Central Java itself is scheduled to be ready to start production in October 2014, earlier than initial plan of the middle of 2015. Meanwhile, based on an agreement, the development of the gas pipeline that would transfer gas from the field to the Tambak Lorok power plant, is slated to be operational by the middle of 2015.

The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, SKKMigas, BPHMigas and other related institution have coordinated the acceleration of the pipeline development, which will be completed next year instead of 2015.

The winner of the Kepodang-Tambak Lorok gas pipeline development tender was PT Bakrie & Brothers. The president director, Bobby Gafur Umar, said late last week that it would complete the project within the period agreed in the gas transportation agreement (GTA) signed in late 2012.

'€œWe'€™re trying to speed up the project. However, there are a lot permits '€” 31 in all '€” and we have done eight of them,'€ Bobby said.

With the uncertainty over supply from the Kepodang field, Suryadi said that the company was mulling the possibility of additional gas from the Gundih block.

'€œIf Gundih can supply 100 mmscfd, we will accept it. We will take whatever is available. Moreover, the gas pipe from Gundih can cope with more than 50 mmscfd ,'€ Suryadi said.

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