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PLN ordered to take over airport power management
Following series of recent blackouts that have wreaked havoc with the flight schedules at Soekarno Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, the government has ordered state power firm PT PLN to take over the management of power infrastructure at the airport from the airport’s operator, PT Angkasa Pura II
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ollowing series of recent blackouts that have wreaked havoc with the flight schedules at Soekarno Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, the government has ordered state power firm PT PLN to take over the management of power infrastructure at the airport from the airport’s operator, PT Angkasa Pura II.
“PLN will definitely take over the management of power [infrastructure] at the airport so the airport operator can focus on other issues, such as cargo and check-in services,” State-Owned Enterprises Minister Mustafa Abubakar said Friday.
Blackouts have hit the airport three times in recent weeks, causing massive numerous delays to flight schedules.
The most recent blackout, which hit the airport between 6 and 8 a.m. Friday, reportedly caused delays to more than 63 flights.
Flights affected included 22 operated by Garuda Indonesia flights, 10 by Sriwijaya Air, 10 by Lion Air, nine by Batavia Air, four by Air Asia, two Citilink flights and one flight each for Mandala Express, Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Star Air and Royal Brunei Airlines, the airport operators reported.
On Aug. 3, the airport was affected by another blackout when a crane operator severed a power cable. Many other areas in Greater Jakarta were also affected by the incident.
Angkasa Pura had reported it had found problems with various equipment, including an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for the x-ray machines at terminal 1A and 2F as well as the underground power grid, Mustafa said.
“Angkasa Pura reported that it had replaced the damaged [equipment]. The replacement of the underground cabling is expected to be complete by August 10,” Mustafa said.
The government expected PLN to take over the management of the power infrastructure at Soekarno Hatta soon after an investigation of the recent blackouts had been completed, he said.
PLN supplies up to 30 megawatts to Soekarno Hatta, but the power supply within the airport is managed by Angkasa Pura.
PLN Greater Jakarta general manager Purnomo Willy said Angkasa Pura lacked the equipment it needed to prevent blackouts.
“They could not resolve the problem any faster because they haven’t got the right equipment,” Purnomo said. A cable failure detector was one example of the equipment Angkasa Pura did not have, he said.
With regard to the government request, Purnomo said PLN may only be involved in a supervisory capacity.
“We will likely be involved in supervision, but [Angkasa Pura] will continue to manage the day-to-day operation,” Willy said.
PLN’s supervision would include regular checking and maintenance of equipment, he said.
