Class action filed against PLN for April blackout
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) filed a lawsuit against the State Electricity Company (PLN) at the South Jakarta District Court yesterday for an eight-hour power blackout last month.
YLKI demanded that PLN pay Rp 650,000 (US$265) in damages for their office, and Rp 500,000 each to electricity consumers affected by the blackout on Sunday, April 13.
The foundation, represented by the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) leveled the charge in a class action mechanism.
Victims reached "more than one million consumers", according to YLKI. If they were to file lawsuits separately, simple, fast and cheap legal procedures would be impossible, a release from the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute said.
Foundation executive Zumrotin K. Soesilo said YLKI had received around 100 complaints on the blackout which hit Java and Bali. The power cut lasted at least eight hours in and around Jakarta.
The lawsuit stated that because of PLN's authority and responsibility toward consumers, PLN should have "observed the principles of decency, caution and thoroughness".
It said the blackout occurred suddenly and without prior notice despite the fact that three days before, PLN had found faults at several points of the Java-Bali interconnection system.
PLN had violated the 1985 Electricity Law and a 1989 rule on providing electricity, lawyer Luhut M.P. Pangaribuan said.
Chairwoman Tini Hadad said the collective lawsuit "was aimed to increase public awareness of their rights".
Another purpose was to warn authorities and businesspeople to consider consumers before making decisions, Tini said.
"The suit is also intended to make people realize that the law on protecting consumers should be soon released," she said.
The foundation also demanded PLN open counters at its offices in Java and Bali for people seeking compensation.
Minister of Mines and Energy I.B. Sudjana said the power cut was conducted to repair earlier detected faults at the Gandul transmission I and load-control in Cinere, South Jakarta.
Sunday was chosen for the power cut because most factories and commercial offices are usually closed, he said.
While repair work was underway, transmission line II overloaded because the three electronic cards at Gandul that provided load protection were unexpectedly out of order. This caused the Suralaya power station to fail, cutting off power to most areas in Java and Bali.
Zumrotin said the relationship between the PLN and consumers was purely business related.
"Electrical power has become a commodity from which PLN had reaped profits," she said. PLN, she added, "is not a charity institution, but should serve the public".
Zumrotin said it was difficult to count losses more accurately.
"The complaints are varied, how can we count the losses of people who could not watch TV?" she said. (05)