PLN Electricity Supply 170 MVA For The UNAI Smelter In South Sulawesi

Illustration of Electricity (Photo: Doc. Antara)

PT PLN added electrical power to the copper refining company PT Unity Nickel-Alloy Indonesia (PT UNAI) of 170 Mega Volt Ampere (MVA) in Bantaeng Regency, South Sulawesi.

PLN President Director Darmawan Prasodjo said that the smelter is one of the strategic projects in downstreaming the mineral industry in Indonesia. Therefore, PLN is ready to fully support and commit by supplying the power needed by the smelter company.

"We thank you for the trust that was again given to PLN to electrify smelter companies in Bantaeng Regency. Therefore, PLN is committed to meeting electricity needs and providing the best service for the smelter industry," Darmawan said in a written statement, Saturday, February 4.

Until December 2022, the realization of electricity consumption in South, Southeast and West Sulawesi (Sulselrabar) reached 9.54 Tera Watt Hours (TWh) or grew 16.53 percent compared to last year. Meanwhile, the growth in electricity consumption in the industrial sector throughout 2022 increased significantly, which was 61.65 percent.

"The smelter owners can now focus on the company's core business. Meanwhile, PLN will ensure that the smelter electricity needs can be met according to the agreed schedule," explained Darmawan.

Di sisi lain, Direktur PT Unai Jos Stefan Hidecky mengatakan, PLN selama ini telah memberikan dukungan listrik relih dalam operasi smelter PT Unai, sehingga pihaknya meyakini penambahan daya menjadi 170 MVA yang diberikan PLN ini akan meningkatkan kapasitas operasional smelter perusahaan untuk tahun ini.

"We would like to thank PLN for the electricity supply so far. With the addition of 110 MVA in 2023, we hope to improve our company's operations," he said.

The total power installed currently in PT Huadi Group, namely one of the parent companies of PT Unai, is 280 MVA. Furthermore, this year, PLN will again supply an additional 110 MVA of power, so that the total power will be 390 MVA.