"With power from the gas fired power plant(PLTG) of Bengkanai channeled to the Barito system, there would be surplus in power supply in the two province," Purnomo said after a meeting with the Commission III of the regional legislative assembly on Wednesday.
Construction of the networks from PLTG of Bengkanai to supply power to the Barito system would be completed in September 2016, he said.
The surplus would be larger when there is additional supply from the steam powered electric station (PLTU) of Pulang Pisang in Central Kalimantan, he said.
More supply is also expected from the power plant of the cement factory of PT CONCH in the district of Tabalong.
PLN is allowed to buy 10MW from the 20MW capacity power plant of the cement factory.
"With the addition of 10 MW there would be no doubt about power reserve to feed the two provinces," he said.
The PLTG of Bengkanai in the regency of Barito Utara, Central Kalimantan has a capacity of 150 MW and the PLTU of Pulang Pisang has a capacity of 2x60 MW.
Currently power supply in the two provinces is barely enough from the existing power plants. Blackout would result if any of the existing power plants was in trouble.
Currently PLN has the 4x65 MW PLTU of Asam-Asam , around 140 kilometers east of Banjarmasin in the regency of Tanah Laut, the 3x10 MW hydro power plant (PLTA) of Ir Pengeran Mohammad Noor , located around 60 kilometers northeast of Banjarmasin and a number of smaller power plants which already supply power to the Barito system.
Chairman of the Commission III of the South Kalimantan legislative H Bardiansyah said he could not comment much about the performance of PLN in the region.
"I appreciate the plan and hope that the plan could come to reality," he said.
He said PLN had given false promise once when it said earlier that there would be no shortage in power supply and blackouts in the region in 2016. (*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2016
