Alperklinas Urges Stricter Supervision of Electrical Construction Standards
The National Alliance of Electrical Consumer Protection Institutions (Alperklinas) is urging stronger supervision of the application of construction standards and electrical materials to enhance consumer safety and maintain the reliability of the power infrastructure. Alperklinas Chairman Tohom Purba stated that every installed component is directly linked to public safety and the continuity of electricity services, making consistent oversight necessary at all stages. He said supervision must be comprehensive, from the planning, procurement, and execution phases through to testing and the issuance of the Certificate of Operation Worthiness (SLO). All electrical installation construction must refer to the General Requirements for Electrical Installations (PUIL), the Indonesian National Standard (SNI), the PLN Standard (SPLN), and other applicable technical provisions to maintain infrastructure quality.
Purba noted that compliance with these standards is vital in preventing workplace accidents, fires caused by short circuits, damage to customer equipment, network disruptions, and system failures that could hinder economic activity. He assessed that oversight is increasingly important given Indonesia’s geographical characteristics, which include high humidity, heavy rainfall, intense lightning, potential corrosion in coastal areas, and earthquake vulnerability in several regions. Therefore, the selection of materials and construction methods must be adapted to environmental conditions so that electrical infrastructure has a long service life and can operate reliably across various areas.
Through the 2025–2034 Electricity Supply Business Plan (RUPTL) of PT PLN (Persero), the government is targeting an additional national power generation capacity of 69.5 gigawatts (GW) by 2034. Besides power plant construction, the government also aims to build nearly 48,000 circuit kilometres (kms) of transmission networks and substations with a capacity of 108,000 MVA to strengthen the reliability of the national electricity system. The RUPTL also opens up investment opportunities of approximately Rp2,967.4 trillion for the construction of power plants, transmission and distribution networks, and village electricity programmes. Purba said the scale of this infrastructure development is part of the government’s effort to strengthen the national electricity system.
According to Purba, supervision must also focus on medium and low-voltage distribution networks as they are directly connected to residential areas, trade centres, industrial estates, public facilities, and household customers. “Distribution network construction is the part closest to consumers, so the accuracy of safe distances, cable quality, pole strength, earthing systems, and safety devices must be checked with discipline,” he said. In addition to overhead networks, the construction of underground cable networks, which are increasingly being applied in urban areas, also requires strict supervision, particularly regarding excavation depth, mechanical protection, drainage systems, cable route marking, and coordination with other utilities. Purba said construction errors in underground networks could potentially cause disruptions that are harder to detect and require greater recovery costs compared to conventional networks.
Alperklinas supports PT PLN (Persero)’s steps to strengthen internal standardisation, material testing, vendor evaluation, field inspections, and the digitalisation of work quality monitoring as part of the national electricity sector transformation. Purba noted that the use of digital technology in supervision can increase accountability through the recording of material identities, product certificates, laboratory test results, installation locations, work executors, and inspection and maintenance histories. He added that such a system would facilitate tracing in the event of a disruption or accident, allowing the responsibilities of manufacturers, suppliers, contractors, supervisors, and installation owners to be clearly traced.
Purba also encouraged strengthening the capacity of inspection bodies, testing laboratories, and certified technical personnel to keep pace with the acceleration of national electrical infrastructure development. He said strong supervision is not intended to slow down project implementation but to ensure that investments by the government, PLN, businesses, and the public yield infrastructure that is safe, efficient, and has a long service life. “The cost of meeting standards is far smaller than the losses from accidents, fires, blackouts, equipment damage, or rebuilding due to construction quality that does not meet specifications,” he stated.
Furthermore, Alperklinas supports increasing the use of domestic products as long as they meet technical standards, have valid certification, pass testing, and provide quality assurance and after-sales service. Purba mentioned that increasing the Domestic Component Level (TKDN) must go hand in hand with strengthening the competitiveness of the national industry in producing high-standard cables, panels, transformers, electricity meters, insulators, and various electrical devices. He also urged the government, PLN, manufacturers, contractors, certification bodies, professional associations, and consumer protection organisations to strengthen coordination in supervising the electrical material supply chain to prevent the circulation of substandard products. This governance strengthening is considered to support the creation of a reliable, safe, and sustainable electricity system while providing certainty for the public and the business world in their operations.