Safer, Jargas And Gaslink Services In Batam Expanded

Implementation of the initial gas distribution (gas in) in Batam, Riau Islands. ANTARA/HO-PGN

BATAM - PT PGN Tbk, as Subholding Gas of PT Pertamina (Persero), is expanding the distribution of natural gas for household (jargas) and commercial customers through Gaslink CNG services in Batam City, Riau Islands.

"Seeing the gas and CNG gaslink earlier, I was quite appreciative. I saw that the gaslink was safer, I think safety is number one because it is for housing. Then, it is quite clean and the pipe installation is so neat. Gaslink CNG is also safe, mainly about safety. I tried it on the stove, it was also quite good, the color of the fire was blue, and it will be more efficient than the previous one," said Pertamina Human Resources Director M Erry Sugiharto during Gas In Gaslink CNG in Batam, Riau Islands, reported by Antara, Wednesday, 13 April.

Erry hopes that the jargas and Gaslink CNG will become Pertamina's new facilities in Batam. "Of course, this is for Indonesia because the gas comes from Indonesian soil and for the people of Indonesia. In the future, the hope is that the TKDN will also be better and the purchase of energy imports will decrease," he continued.

In the same place, PGN Director of Sales and Operations Faris Aziz said that household jargas and Gaslink CNG distribute gas energy which is cleaner, environmentally friendly, compared to other fossil energies.

"Especially Gaslink CNG can help improve the competitiveness of customers in the commercial sector and MSMEs," he said.

Gaslink CNG is one of the innovations in utilizing natural gas that reaches areas that have not been reached by PGN's pipeline gas and does not require a large storage area.

CNG on Gaslink is packaged in a movable tube with a gas pressure of 200-250 bar and a volume of 20 cubic meters or the equivalent of 24 kg.

Angel, as the manager of Citra Bakery, expressed the reason why he was interested in using Gaslink CNG, because it was more competitive, efficient, and practical.

So far, Citra Bakery's energy costs are around Rp. 1 million. "By utilizing Gaslink CNG, it will save the cost of energy consumed," he said. A lot of gas is absorbed for kitchen needs, because Citra Bakery also sells various food menus other than bread.

"Usually MSMEs are limited to land, land for parking is most likely only for customers. So, we can't place the cradle. So, we take advantage of the space from customers that are usually used. There is no need to provide a new place for Gaslink CNG, because we can use existing place," explained Faris.

Faris continued that payments for Gaslink CNG usage can be controlled, because they are billed per month according to gas usage, both postpaid and prepaid.

In its use, Gaslink CNG is also flexible and can serve customers with a volume of 500-3,000 cubic meters per month.

"The equipment used in Gaslink CNG is certified. Just like other natural gas products, Gaslink CNG is also safer because it decomposes easily in the air, so its safety is guaranteed," added Faris.

Gas in to household customers is carried out at Kurnia Djaya Alam Housing, Eagle Cluster. Meanwhile, gas in Gaslink CNG takes place at Citra Bakery with an estimated usage of 500-1,000 cubic meters per month.

"We hope that in the future, by using PGN's GasKita Pintar, we can be more practical, safe and efficient," said Ira, one of the customers who received the first gas service.

Currently, the total household customers in the Batam area are around 4,700 customers. PGN Batam Area is also completing 1,329 new household connections for GasKita Pintar products. For the acceleration of gas lines in 2022, PGN Batam Area targets 14 thousand new connections.

Natural gas infrastructure in Batam is spread through industrial areas and crowded centers such as Tanjung Uncan, Panbil, Batam Center, and Lubuk Baja, with a pipe length of 238 km and has Panaran Station as its natural gas distribution gate.

In addition to households, PGN in Batam serves 57 commercial customers and 88 small customers with a total absorption of 81 BBTUD

Faris emphasized that the gas in is part of the Gas Subholding strategy and coincides with the Ramadhan safari activity to distribute natural gas energy to the community.