Electricity Demand Grows Slower in Java-Bali

Solo (Antara Bali)- Demand for electricity in the Java-Bali system area is forecast to grow 8 percent in 2013, or lower than the growth rate of 10 percent in 2012, the state electricity company PLN said.

"A fairly high growth is still predicted in 2013 as the country's economy is expected to continue to grow steadily," PLN's planning director Murtaqin Syamsuddin said .

The growth in power requirement was strong in 2012 therefore, there was an additional peak load of more than 1,500 megawatts, Murtaqin said, adding currently the peak load has reached 21,500 MW.

"The condition forces PLN to speed up completion of project under the first phase of the crash program," he said.

Under the program, PLN is building coal-fired power plants with a total capacity of 10,000 MW including  PLTU Paiton, PLTU Pacitan, PLTU Rembang  and PLTU Cilacap.

In addition PLN is preparing the construction of more big power plants in Java and Bali such as a 2,000 MW PLTU Batang in Central Java to feed the Java-Bali interconnection system, he said. (*/DWA)