PLN urged to be cautious in solving power crisis<\/p>\n
Oyos Saroso H.N., The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung<\/p>\n
The Lampung provincial legislative council warned the state-owned
\nelectricity company PT PLN against cutting the power supply to
\nsome 30,000 electric customers, who were protesting poor PLN
\nservice by not paying their bills, saying such a unilateral
\naction could cause widespread chaos in the province.<\/p>\n
The legislature's Commission E on mining and energy called on
\nthe local branch of PLN to seek a win-win solution to the power
\ncrisis that has affected the province over the last nine months,
\nin which PLN has had to embark on a program of revolving
\nblackouts since losing some of its power generating capacity.<\/p>\n
\"The provincial legislature has delivered a letter to the
\nchief of the local PLN office requesting a detailed report on the
\npower crisis, including local people's protests of the company's
\npoor service to the public,\" Abdul Hakim, the commission's
\nchairman, told The Jakarta Post here on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
He conceded that the revolving blackouts and resulting
\nprotests, had created a serious dilemma both to PLN and the
\npublic following damage to several powere generating facilities
\nin the province.<\/p>\n
\"PLN cannot repair the power plants if the public fails to pay
\ntheir electric bills to PLN while the public has been frustrated
\nby the frequent blackouts over the last nine months. This is why
\nPLN should seek win-win solution to negate any problems resulting
\nfrom the power crisis,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Hakim however, said the legislative council could not order
\nPLN to refrain from cutting power to the protesting customers as
\nlong as the action was taken in accordance with the law.<\/p>\n
PLN has threatened to turn off the electricity of some 30,000
\nhomeowners who stopped paying their bills three months ago. The
\nrotating blackouts became more frequent in September and many
\nhave reported damage to electronic goods as a result of the
\nunreliable and unstable voltage.<\/p>\n
The company increased the blackouts to once every second day
\nas of September 2002, from once every third day between January
\nand August this year following damage to a number of power
\nstations and generators in the province as well as neighboring
\nSouth Sumatra province.<\/p>\n
Lampung province has 32 power generating stations with a total
\ncapacity of 275,166 megawatts (MW) a day while the demand for
\npower at peak hours currently averages over 276,000 MW.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, P. Samosir, chief of the PLN branch in
\nTanjungkarang, insisted that PLN would go ahead with its plan to
\ncut the electricity completely from the protesters, and saying it
\nwas ready to face any lawsuit from the protesters or non-
\ngovernmental organizations.<\/p>\n
\"We have lost all tolerance as the people have been given
\nthree months to pay their bills. A great number of staff have
\nbeen deployed to cut off their power.<\/p>\n
\"We are all know that the province is facing a serious power
\ncrisis. PLN has been overburdened by the customers' arrears. We
\nwill be even more burdened by this crisis if they don't start
\npaying their bills,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Subradayani Mursalim, chairman of the local office of the
\nIndonesian Consumers Agency (YLKI), threatened that it would file
\na class action lawsuit against PLN should the latter cut the
\npower supply.<\/p>\n
\"Homeowners have clear reasons for not paying their bills.
\nThey would never have done it if PLN could do its job and provide
\nbetter service to the public,\" he said.<\/p>",
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