Bandung MSMEs Affected by PLN Power Cuts

Rotating power cuts in the Greater Bandung area have impacted small business owners. Several entrepreneurs in Bandung have reported losses. Ihsan Faturrohman, 35, owner of a photocopy business in Majalaya, Bandung Regency, said his turnover dropped by up to 50 per cent during the rolling blackouts imposed by PLN. Ihsan explained that the photocopy and office stationery business he runs is heavily dependent on electrical power. When the electricity goes out, his photocopying services also grind to a halt. “It’s affected. Usually, I can earn Rp 1 million a day, but recently, during the power cuts, turnover was only half that,” Ihsan told Tempo on Friday, 19 June 2026. Ihsan said photocopy machines and printers automatically cannot operate when his shop loses power. “At most, I rely on stationery sales, but that’s not much. The big profit still comes from photocopying or printing services,” he said. He said he has already experienced two PLN power cuts, each lasting about five hours. “Two days ago, the power went out from 10:00 WIB and only came back on after Ashar, around 15:00 WIB,” he stated. A similar situation was experienced by Ade Mamad, 49, owner of a mobile coffee and iced orange juice cart in Cileunyi, Bandung Regency. Ade admitted his business is quite dependent on electrical energy because several tools require power to function. “Affected by the blackout. I sell iced orange juice which needs a sealer, and coffee also uses a grinder, so in the end it adds more costs,” Ade said. Ade said he was forced to buy plastic lids because he could not use the sealing machine to seal the packaging for iced orange juice or coffee. “There was even a time when a customer ended up not buying because making the iced coffee took so long; the grinding had to be done manually,” he said. PLN West Java Distribution Unit Communication Manager Nurmalitasari said the rolling blackouts are a measure taken by PLN to address technical operational constraints at power plants. According to her, two large generating units experienced disruptions, causing them to be temporarily out of operation and reducing the power supply capacity. “PLN apologises for the inconvenience experienced by customers. This load management is temporary and will be gradually halted as the system supply conditions improve,” Nurmalitasari said in a written statement on Friday.