5 cities to switch off power to save energy

Jakartans and community groups in Bali, Yogyakarta, Bandung and Surabaya will turn off their lights for one hour to support the global Earth Hour campaign.
The 2010 Earth Hour campaign endorsed by the WWF, will take place from 8.30 to 9.30 p.m. on March 27.
WWF Indonesia director for the climate and energy program Fitrian Ardiansyah said this would be the second time Jakarta and Bali participated in the event.
“Last year around 200 buildings in Jakarta’s golden triangle [Kuningan of South Jakarta, and Sudirman and Thamrin of Central Jakarta] and 200,000 people participated in the event,” he said Thursday.
Jakarta administration also switched off its lights at some of the city’s iconic spots in Central Jakarta such as the National Monument, the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, City Hall, Pemuda Statue and Arjuna Wiwaha Statue.
During the hour, Jakarta and Bali could save 180 megawatts of electricity.
“We hope the step will be followed by other cities and communities,” Fitrian said.
The Earth Hour initiative began in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, when 2.2 million people switched their lights off for an hour.
In 2008, the number grew to around 50 million supporters from 370 cities in 35 countries.
As of March 17, 1,539 cities from 80 countries committed to participate in the 2009 Earth Hour, exceeding this year’s target of 1,000 cities around the world.
Fitrian said Yogyakarta administration had expressed a commitment to switch off the city’s iconic buildings lights but in other cities it was only some community groups that had committed to the initiative.
Achmad Harjadi, Jakarta’s deputy governor for spatial planning and environment said the governor would issue a circular letter to 700 building managers in Jakarta to participate in the 2010 Earth Hour program.
“We will also switch off billboard and street lights that hour,” he said.
He added Governor Fauzi Bowo as Earth Hour ambassador and chairman of the Indonesian Provincial Head Association would call on all provincial heads and 300 cities in Indonesia to participate in the event.
Jakarta Spatial Planning and Environmental Bureau head Miftah Ruyani said buildings on Jl. Gatot Subroto and in Kuningan would also switch off their lights for the event.
Miftah added this year each mayor in Jakarta would order building managers in certain areas in their municipalities to participate in Earth Hour.
“Areas include North Jakarta including Kelapa Gading, South Jakarta including Blok M, Pondok Indah and West Jakarta including Puri Indah,” he said
For East Jakarta, Miftah said the area had not been determined but it would most likely be Cawang and Taman Mini Indonesia Indah.
He said last year Jakarta saved 50 megawatts of electricity.