DENPASAR ~ Bali’s power supplies dipped by over a fifth this week, as the Gilimanuk gas-fired plant in the west of the island went offline for repair work, and the fall-off to last for two months, state power company PLN said.

PLN Bali spokesman Wayan Redika said the drop amounted to 22.7 percent of Bali’s previous power supply of 572 megawatts and that power cuts were likely in some areas during hours of peak demand.

An overhaul of the Gilimanuk plant would be completed by November 26, when the 130-megawat facility would be back online, he said.

“The power plant requires a major overhaul every 24,000 hours of operation,” he said, adding that the plant contributes 130 megawatts of electricity to the island.

Along with Gilimanuk, Bali currently gets its power from gas-fired plants in Pesanggaran in Denpasar and Pemaron in Buleleng that contribute 152 and 80 megawatts respectively, and from a power transfer from Java amounting to 210 megawatts.

“The average need for power in Bali is 420 megawatts, but during the peak hours, from 6pm to 10pm, we can experience a 20-megawatt increase, and if that happens there could be blackouts in some areas,” he said.

Redika called on the public to use electricity wisely and economically during the next two months.

“We need people to help save more power to avoid power outages,” he said.