The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) visited Southern Sulawesi on Wednesday to ensure electricity supply ahead of the dry season and anticipate the El Nino.
The dry season and El Nino have often become a scourge for the people of South Sulawesi as this natural phenomenon can result in a decrease in water discharge at hydroelectric power plants (PLTA), one of the main sources of electrical energy in the region.
At end of the day, this could result in an electricity crisis and disrupt community activities, especially the industrial and business sectors.
“When El Niño or the dry season occurs, PLN must take care of what kind of mitigation it will take,” Director General of Electricity at the ESDM ministry, Jisman Hutajulu, said during a visit to the Tolo Jeneponto Wind Power Plant (PLTB), South Sulawesi, as quoted on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.
According to Jisman, the implementation of the energy mix in South Sulawesi is unique and has never happened anywhere else. As of March, energy generation consisted of coal at 50.89 percent, gas at 11.02 percent; water by 29.40 percent; wind by 2.26 percent; and fuel by 6.43 percent.
“So the government and PLN must learn from previous experience to regulate primary energy supplies so that electricity remains reliable,” Jisman said.
On the same occasion, Managing Director at PT PLN Generation, Adi Lumakso, added that PLN had prepared various anticipatory measures to overcome potential disruptions in electricity supply due to the dry season and El Nino.
In the future, Adi said, South Sulawesi’s electricity challenges will grow stronger considering that the load (electricity sales) has just grown to 6.73 gigawatts (GW).
