Bandung MSMEs Affected by PLN Power Cuts
Rotating power outages in the Greater Bandung area are impacting small business owners. These losses are being felt by several entrepreneurs in Bandung. Ihsan Faturrohman, 35, owner of a photocopy shop in Majalaya, Bandung Regency, admitted that his business turnover dropped by up to 50 per cent during the PLN-led rotating outages.
Ihsan stated that his photocopy and office stationery business is heavily dependent on electrical energy. When the power goes out, his photocopying services also cease. “It is affected; usually, we earn Rp 1 million a day, but during the recent outages, turnover was only half of that,” Ihsan told Tempo on Friday, 19 June 2026.
Ihsan explained that photocopy machines and printers automatically become inoperable when his shop lacks electricity. “I rely most on stationery sales, but that is not much; the significant profits still come from photocopying or printing services,” he said.
He admitted to experiencing two PLN power outages, each lasting approximately five hours. “Two days ago, the power went out starting at 10:00 WIB and only returned after Ashar (around 15:00 WIB),” he added.
Similar experiences were reported by Ade Mamad, 49, owner of a coffee and orange ice cart in Cileunyi, Bandung Regency. Ade admitted that his business is quite dependent on electrical energy because several tools require power to function.
“It is affected by the outages. I sell orange ice which requires a sealer, and for coffee, I use a grinder, so it ultimately increases my costs,” said Ade.
Ade mentioned he was forced to purchase plastic lids manually because he could not use the heat sealer to seal the packaging for the orange ice or coffee. “There were even times when customers decided not to buy because the preparation of the iced coffee took too long since the grinding had to be done manually,” he said.
Nurmalitasari, Communications Manager of PLN West Java Distribution Main Unit (UID), stated that the rotating outages are a step taken by PLN to address technical operational constraints in power plants.
According to her, two large power plant units are experiencing disturbances, causing them to be temporarily out of operation and reducing the electricity supply capacity.
“PLN apologises for the inconvenience experienced by customers. This load management is temporary and will be phased out as the system supply conditions improve,” Nurmalitasari said in a written statement on Friday.