PLN TO LEASE PLTD IN FACING WOC

Jakarta, Apr 24 (ANTARA) - State power utility PT PLN will start renting a 20 megawatts (MW) diesel power plant (PLTD) to secure electricity supply during the World Ocean Conference (WOC) in Manado, North Sulawesi, on May 11-15, 2009.

President Director of PT PLN Fahmi Mochtar said in Jakarta Friday that the PLTD will be leased due to the limited power supply in North Sulawesi, pending the operation of the power project under the 10,000 MW project crash program.
"The leasing will be started early in May," he said.
Fahmi said the recently dedicated PLTP Lahendong will supply only 10 MW of its total capacity of 20 MW.
"There is still a technical problem with its gas pipe," he said.
Besides leading the PLTD, he said in preparation of the WOC, he will also try to increase the capacity of the old power plant in Bitung, North Sulawesi, increasing the capacity of 17 MW.
The old power plant's capacity will be raised from 60 percent to 90 percent.
Fahmi said the operation of the two power plants will produce 172 MW.
"The addition would be enough to meet the peak demand during the WOC which had been estimated to increase from 143 MW to 152 MW," he said.
The WOC is slated to be opened by President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono and will be attended by about 3,350 delegates from many countries.