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Power cuts hit public services in NTT, W.Java
Public services and government offices have been paralyzed for the last two weeks by power blackouts in East Nusa Tenggara due to delays in diesel supply and skyrocketing fuel prices
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Public services and government offices have been paralyzed for the last two weeks by power blackouts in East Nusa Tenggara due to delays in diesel supply and skyrocketing fuel prices.
State-owned PT PLN imposed a daily 12-hour blackout from 6 a.m. local time until 6 p.m. in the regencies of Ruteng, Ngada, Ende, East Flores and Rote Ndao.
East Flores vice regent Yusni Herin confirmed most government offices and civil servants could not work during outages because of dependence on computers, data storage and telephones as well as air conditioning.
"We can't understand because all provincial power plants are driven by diesel engines but normal deliveries by Pertamina have not yet reached us," he said.
"Civil servants in East Flores have remained present at their office but cannot work normally," he added.
Robertus Kaban, resident of Kupang, Manggarai, said the power company should pay consumers compensation for losses due to the blackouts.
"If consumers pay the power bill late, they usually are punished with fines or having their power cut. PLN should get similar treatment for failing to maintain power supply to customers," he said.
PLN general manager in East Nusa Tenggara, Amir Rosidin, said the blackouts were imposed because of late delivery of diesel fuel to power plants.
"A Pertamina tanker is nearing Flores to supply fuel to deal with the power cuts," he said, adding his company had no choice but to cut power while waiting for the fuel to arrive.
He acknowledged the blackouts also had something to do with the fuel price increase because his company ordered non-subsidized diesel fuel at Rp 11,000 per liter.
In Bandung, West Java, residents also complained about blackouts imposed without prior notice to customers.
Erna Dini, a 27-year-old employee of a major company in the city, said his company could not do work because they needed computers and internet networks.
"The blackouts since Wednesday have caused losses to the company since we have no our reserve power engine," Erna said.
Sabar, a 54-year-old professional tailor at Muararajeun in the city confirmed that many customers were upset because work could not be completed on schedule.
The blackouts in the city have been imposed between 8 a.m. local time until 4 p.m. at random.
Many chemical and textile factories have suspended operations which need continual power supply.
The power company said the blackouts were announced only 15 minutes before it was imposed.
PLN deputy manager Bambang Dwiyanto said the blackout was caused by the increasing demand for power and late delivery of fuel to power plants in West Java, Banten and Jakarta.
He said power supply to consumers depended much on the condition of power plants in Suryalaya, North Jakarta and East and Central Java.
"Wednesday night, PLN was short of 300 megawatts for the Java-Bali supply, prompting blackouts in certain areas," he said.
He called on consumers to use power efficiently to minimize the need for blackouts because it is impossible for PLN to build new power plants immediately.
