Letter: Blackout in Jakarta

I refer to an article titled “Blackouts in Jakarta may last longer”, (The Jakarta Post, Aug. 2, 2010).

What technical problem? I’m not exactly sure what the problem is, therefore I would like to know. It seems like state-owned electricity company PLN can’t even black start the Muara Karang plant. This is a gas-fired plant, not a coal fired plant, and furthermore the unit’s capacity isn’t that big. There must be something else wrong here. Unless, the diesel set (genset) is also having problems, I don’t see how PLN can black start the plant within the next few hours.

Don’t tell me the plant manager is waiting for adjusters to come in to evaluate and assess the damage from the incident first, and only then will PLN start its repair work. As far as I’m aware, whatever damage was caused by the expansion program is surely covered under the CAR and EAR systems. So, PLN please stop talking about compensation or damages because of this incident.

After all, those affected by this incident can always claim from PLN under the Business Interruption & Loss of Profit cover (if PLN did subscribe to that policy anyway).

This is about the plant’s operating regime, and somebody has got to make a decision in times like this. People depend on stable and constant supplies of electricity for their livelihood. I do feel sorry for all of the people affected by this incident.

Razique
Jakarta