"The company plans to achieve 100 percent electrification in Riau."
Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA News) - PT PLN (state-owned electricity company) of Riau and Riau Islands region has ensured that the electrification ratio in Riau has reached the target of 60 percent in October 2012.

"The maximum electrification ratio target for October has been achieved as 60 percent of requirements have been met," the senior manager of the distribution system of Indonesia West region, Dany Embang said here on Wednesday.

Embang explained that the electrification ratio realization can also be gauged from data that illustrates the increase in distribution to customers, particularly those in residential areas.

He said that the optimum electrification ratio target will be reached in 2017 in accordance with PLN`s target setup.

The president director of PT PLN (Persero) Nur Pamudji said that the target of 100 percent electrification is sought to be arrived at before the state-owned company exports electricity to Malaysia.

"The company plans to achieve 100 percent electrification in Riau, following which we plan to export electricity to Malaysia," Embang said.

He added that the company will not seek to export any electricity to Malaysia till it achieves its target in Riau.

According to Embang, domestic electricity needs are the main focus of the company. It is also stipulated in the Ministry regulation, which specifies that electricity may be exported after the local needs were met.

In order to support the electricity export project in the future, PLN has set up two coal-fired power plants of 600 megawatts, each.

PLN also plans to export electricity to Malaysia by 2017 because the country is experiencing a shortage of 5,000 megawatts of electricity, forcing it to rely on imports.
(T.KR-LWA/INE/KR-BSR/O001)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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