Karimunjawa Islands in Jepara, Central Java, will soon have a gas-fueled power plant to provide a 24-hour supply of electricity to local residents who currently get access to electricity only several hours a day, an electricity official has said.

State-owned electricity company PT PLN Kudus, Arif Noryadi, said as quoted by Antara in Jakarta on Monday the gas power plant development plan had been followed up with the construction of a feeder transmission line that had been completed.

In the second stage, he said, PLN would develop an electrical relay station and based on its master plan, it was expected that the gas power plant on Karimunjawa Islands could start operating this year.

Arif said PLN decided to build a gas-fueled power plant as the investment cost was lower than for other types, including an underwater cable network system.