Batam hit by electricity crisis

Batam hit by electricity crisis

Fadli, Batam, Riau

Batam island has been faced with an electricity crisis since
February, inconveniencing more than half million residents.

The director of PT PLN Batam, Ery Ifyandri, said on Tuesday
the crisis was caused by a shortage of properly working
generators on the island. PT PLN Batam is a subsidiary of state
electricity company PT PLN.

Speaking on the sidelines of a discussion in Batam, he said 38
generators belonging to the company had been undergoing major
repair since February.

"Those units have been used for years and they needed repair.
In normal times, the 38 units can produce 160 megawatts (MW) of
electricity, of which some 120 MW is distributed to households in
Batam.

"Because some of the units have been undergoing repair, the
company can only distribute 110 MW of electricity to households
on the island," Ery told The Jakarta Post.

As a result of this shortage, the company has been forced to
implement rolling blackouts across Batam for three or four hours
each day.

These rolling blackouts have been taking place since February.
"We understand that this is causing losses to the community here,
but we have no choice."

Ery said he hoped the repair work on the generators would be
completed soon, so the electricity supply on the island would
return to normal.

The chairwoman of the Indonesian Consumers Foundation, Indah
Suksmaningsih, demanded the company explain to the public the
cause of the rolling blackouts.

"The public has the right to know. They have paid the company
and now they are receiving poor service," she said.

Hasrul, 32, an ice cream seller, said the blackouts disturbed
his business.

"The electricity shutdowns are unpredictable; sometimes they
happen at night, at other times they happen in the afternoon. My
ice cream, which I keep in the refrigerator, often melts due to
the blackouts," he said.

Agus Fajri, chairman of the Batam Consumer Protection Agency,
said the frequent blackouts inconvenienced residents, especially
students who often were unable to study at night. "The problem
must be addressed soon."