PLN NEGOTIATING EXTRA POWER FOR SAIL BANDA

Ambon, Feb 1 (ANTARA) - State power firm PLN for Maluku and North Maluku is negotiating with foreign investors on the procurement of diesel 10-MW power plants in anticipation of the Sail Banda 2010 international event.

"We are having negotiations for leasing new power plants with a capacity of 10 MW because PLN's the diesel power plants in Maluku are still out of order and able to serve only half of the 80,000 subscribers on Ambon Island," human resources manager of PLN Maluku Office Harun Tukuboya said here Monday.

The power plants were expected to be already on lease in March 2010 to overcome the power crisis in the area, and at the same time to meet the extra power needs of the Sail Banda international event which will be joined by hundreds of foreign participants.

Tukuboya said PLN is currently also cooperating with the PLN offices in some other areas in the country in the supply of mobile diesel power plants and electric generators to serve Sail Banda in Ambon City.

"We are also trying to procure a diesel power plant with a capacity of 500 KW in Banda Island, Central Maluku regency, one of the venues of the international event," he said.

Of the five generators of the diesel power plants PLTD Hative Kecil which used to operate with a capacity of 14.3 MW, two units are still damaged, and the subscribers are therefore 9 MW short.

Then of the seven generators of PLTD Poka with a capacity of 17.7 MW, four are out of order, leaving a power supply shortage of 11.1 MW.