T

he Mrica Dam in Banjarnegara regency, Central Java has become badly silted up and is at risk of not being able to feed PT Indonesia Power'€™s hydroelectric power plant (PLTA), potentially threatening electricity supply for areas in Java and Bali.

'€œThe dam, a legacy of former president Soeharto, is in a critical state now. If large-scale dredging is not immediately carried out, it can only last for another five years,'€ Banjarnegara Vice Regent Hadi Supeno told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Hadi said the current volume of mud in the dam had reached 125 million cubic meters, or equivalent to around 70 percent of the total volume of the dam.

To date, according to Hadi, several efforts have been made to dredge the mud by PT Indonesia Power, a subsidiary of state-run electricity company PT PLN, but the mud being dredged is not comparable to the volume of the incoming sludge. The 189-megawatt Mrica PLTA was built during Soeharto'€™s era in 1989. Power generated by the PLTA is allocated to meet electricity demand in Java and Bali.

General manager of PT Indonesia Power'€™s Mrica Banjarnegara business unit Sigit Ariefiatmoko told media that the sedimentation had affected operations at the Mrica PLTA for the past several years, especially during the dry season.

'€œWater intake entering the dam has dropped significantly due to the low level of the Serayu and Mrawu rivers. Consequently, the current dam level is just 230 meters, compared to the rainy season level of 234 meters. This is a drop of 4 meters,'€ Sigit told the media.

He said water intake during the rainy season could reach between 200 and 600 cubic meters per second, compared to between 19 and 14 cubic meters per second currently.

Consequently, Mrica PLTA could not operate three of its turbines to generate 180 megawatts of power.

'€œWe are able to operate the three turbines only during peak load periods from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m.,'€ said Sigit, adding that the PLTA failed to operate at its maximum peak a few days ago as water intake was just 14 cubic meters per second.

Meanwhile, the power crisis in Gorontalo has returned. Daily blackouts are longer, reaching up to six hours a day. The situation has disrupted people'€™s daily activities, as well as public services at local government offices.

A housewife in Bone Bolango regency, Karmila Adam, said she had to queue up at the local Civil Registry Office for almost two hours when applying for her child'€™s birth certificate.

However, when her turn came, a blackout suddenly took place. Consequently, the computer failed to access the required data.

'€œWhat else could we do. We also don'€™t have a generator. A blackout is a scourge for us, it could take place any moment,'€ said Yurike, a civil servant at the office.

Separately, North and Central Sulawesi and Gorontalo state power company PLN branch manager Putu Eka Astawa expressed his regret to the public for the inconvenience.

Putu said that PLN claimed the condition was due to a power deficit at a number of interconnection power plants supporting the regions, such as the 24-megawatt Molotabu coal-fired steam power plant (PLTU), which experienced a fault in its water-cooled piping.

The condition is aggravated by low river levels due to the prolonged drought that has affected operations at the PLTA.