S

tate power firm PT PLN says gas shortfalls have lead it to postpone development of two gas-fired power plants.

The company said the affected projects, both part of the second phase of PLN’s 10,000-MW fast-track program, were the planned 500-MW Muara Tawar Add-On Block 2 plant in Bekasi, West Java, and the 2x120-MW Senoro plant in Central Sulawesi.

“We have cancelled the development of the two projects. However, we’ll resume the projects when we get some certainty on gas supply,” PLN strategic procurement director Bagiyo Riawan said over the weekend.

Further, three government-funded projects would also be excluded from the fast-track program, according to PLN data: the coal-fired Sampit power plant (2x25 MW) in Central Kalimantan, the coal-fired Kotabaru power plant in South Kalimantan and the gas-fired East Kalimantan power plant (2x50 MW).

Power purchase agreements for Sampit and Kotabaru have been signed, while bidding was still open for the East Kalimantan plant, according to PLN.

As previously reported, PLN asked the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry to revise its 2010 regulation covering the second phase of the fast-track program to include 12 new plants, following the cancellation of two projects and exclusion of three others.

The regulation authorized PLN to set up 21 power plants with a total capacity of 4,216 MW and independent power producers (IPP) to build 71 power plants with a total capacity of 5,306 MW.

During a hearing last week at the House of Representatives, PLN also said its budget expenditures might only reach Rp 4.52 trillion by year end, equivalent to 48 percent of its Rp 9.27 trillion allocation for 2011.

The company said it produced 115.4 terawatt-hours (TWh) from January to September.

This year, PLN aims to produce 157.4 TWh, up from 147.3 TWh last year.

As of the third quarter, 93 percent (40.82 million) of the company’s 44.04 million customers were comprised of households, 5 percent (1.98 million) were businesses and 2 percent (1.23 million) were in the “other” category, including industry.