Relationship between Water Availability and Power Plant Performance Using Water Balance Method: Case of PT. INALUM Asahan

Abstract

Hydroelectric Power Plant is a generator that uses water as a prime mover to rotate the water turbine in generating electrical energy which will then be used for industrial activity. A problem in the process of generating electrical energy is how to maximize the available water resources for optimal power generation. In this study, we will discuss the relationship of water availability with power generation performance at PLTA PT Inalum by using Water Balance method. Water Balance method is a method used to find out how much water discharge that will be issued to a dam so that output water later can be utilized to optimally generate power. From our study we found that the obtained power was generated at peak load of 560.19 MW and therefore the discharge of water issued at the dam is equal to 134.05 tons / sec. We obtained a different trend pattern every year, where in 2015 trend pattern rises, in the year 2016 there is a trend pattern that is relatively constant and in the year 2017 a pattern of downward trend occured.