STATE oil company Pertamina and state electricity company PLN have agreed at a fuel supply price for power plants by taking the cheapest and most efficient price.
President director of Pertamina Ari H Soemarno revealed the issue had been discussed with PLN’s board of directors.
“We have agreed at the fuel supply price. The price is special since we are both state-owned enterprises,” he says.
He informed the managements of the two state-owned enterprises had met and discussed about fuel stock and price. “So, there is no more problem.”
State Minister for state-owned enterprises Sofyan Djalil confirms PLN and Pertamina completed a negotiation over fuel supply few days ago.
“In principle, the technical issue has been discussed. Electricity shortage will remain to happen until the 10,000 MW electricity crash programme is completed,” he says.
He adds electricity shortage would continue until PLN finished diversifying energy to fire its power plants.
PLN deputy director of Java-Bali Transmission Muljo Adji says it would depend on diesel fuel supply from Pertamina to know whether there would be another power blackout or not.
However, he guarantees there would be fewer blackout since Pertamina’s diesel fuel-carrying ship would dock and supply 20,000 kilolitres of diesel fuel to the Muara Tawar gas- and coal-fired power plant.
One day after that, diesel fuel for Tambak Lorok would also arrive. In addition, Muljo continued, the 1x300 MW Cilacap coal-fired power plant and the 400 MW Suralaya 3 and 4 coal-fired power plant had been completed and had started operation since last night to boost supply gradually.
He says there was still a remaining deficit of 200 MW, making power blackout from day to evening still possible for the next two days.
“Probably electricity supply will recover to normal,” he says.
Muljo declines to say whether diesel fuel that Pertamina supplied would be sold for a commercial price or for a price fixed in the 2008 Revised State Budget.
Until recently, power blackout still took place in several regions. The Banten PLN, for example, shut down electricity in four main power grids, namely in the Salira, Serang, Cikande, and the Asahimas Industrial Zone grid.
“We cannot predict when the alternate blackout in Banten will be over since it will depend on instruction from the Burden Distribution and Regulatory Centre,” says the public relation office of the Banten PLN Bambang Susilarto.
Several regions that again experience power blackout are the Cikande and Asahimas industrial zones in Bojonegara, Anyer, the Petir sub-district, and some parts of Sereang city, the Lebak Regency, and Pandeglang.
