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new coal-fired steam power plant (PLTU) in West Lombok will not be ready for a visit from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono this month because construction work is running behind schedule, a government official says.

The President is scheduled to visit Lombok from Oct. 19 to 21 to inaugurate the new Lombok International Airport in central Lombok. Inaugurating the power plant in Jeranjang, West Lombok, was also on the President’s agenda.

“We had hoped the power plant would be inaugurated along with the airport, but construction on the plant is not finished yet. The President will only inaugurate the airport,” Lalu Mohammad Faozal, the spokesperson of the West Nusa Tenggara administration, said in Mataram on Tuesday.

According to Faozal, during the President’s three-day visit to Lombok, he will also meet with the Malaysian foreign affairs minister and visit several other development projects — excluding the power plant — which is some 30 kilometers away from the provincial capital of Mataram, due to damage to the entry road.

State electricity company PLN said construction delay was caused by delayed material deliveries. It was also partly blamed on partners who failed to meet their deadlines in developing the supporting infrastructure.

“Among the elements yet to be completed is the installment of a coal-handling system. Generators being shipped from China have been delayed,” said Dahlan Jamaluddin, the PLN official in charge of plants for the Nusa Tenggara region.

The Lombok power plant comprises three units, each with a capacity of 25 megawatts.

Construction on Unit I and II, which began in April 2009 with a budget of Rp 634 billion (US$71 million), appeared sluggish, which Dahlan said had affected the construction work on Unit III, which is expected to cost Rp 296 billion.

All three units were planned for completion early for October.

“We are stepping up to finish the project in December or January next year at the latest,” he said.

The power plant is expected to augment power reserves for the region, which are crucial now that the newly completed airport is operating.

Peak electricity consumption in Lombok reportedly averages 124 megawatts, while power capacity stands at 130 megawatts. The new plant is expected to boost the power reserve.