Japanese bizmen complain about frequent power blackouts
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Japanese entrepreneurs belonging to the Kansai industrial group have lodged a complaint with Industry Minister MS Hidayat regarding frequent power blackouts their companies in Indonesia are experiencing.
"(They) had particularly asked about the electrical power problem. I told them that Indonesian businessmen had also made the same complaint," MS Hidayat said after receiving a delegation of the Kansai industrial group from Osaka here on Monday.
He said other Japanese businessmen engaged in joint ventures with Indonesian partners had also voiced complaints about electricity."I offered my apologies to them," Hidayat said.
Rotating power blackouts in the industrial sector were very detrimental because it disrupted companies` production and delivery schedules, he said.
If the problem persisted, many industrial sectors would suffer losses, Hidayat said, adding "so, this problem must be solved immediately."
The government, he explained, had placed the electricity problem in the second place on the list of 15 high-priority issues it would tackle in its first 100 days in office, after repair of damaged infrastructure.
Hidayat also told the Kansai industrial delegation, the government was expecting new power plants being built under its 10,000-MW power generation capacity program to become operational by the middle of 2010.
Therefore, he asked the Japanese businessmen not to be too worried and to continue investing in Indonesia.
The Kansai industrial group delegation consisted of 30 businessmen from Osaka, and was led by the chairman of the Kansai Economic Federation (Kankeiren), Hiroshi Shimozuma, who also represented Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd. (*)
"(They) had particularly asked about the electrical power problem. I told them that Indonesian businessmen had also made the same complaint," MS Hidayat said after receiving a delegation of the Kansai industrial group from Osaka here on Monday.
He said other Japanese businessmen engaged in joint ventures with Indonesian partners had also voiced complaints about electricity."I offered my apologies to them," Hidayat said.
Rotating power blackouts in the industrial sector were very detrimental because it disrupted companies` production and delivery schedules, he said.
If the problem persisted, many industrial sectors would suffer losses, Hidayat said, adding "so, this problem must be solved immediately."
The government, he explained, had placed the electricity problem in the second place on the list of 15 high-priority issues it would tackle in its first 100 days in office, after repair of damaged infrastructure.
Hidayat also told the Kansai industrial delegation, the government was expecting new power plants being built under its 10,000-MW power generation capacity program to become operational by the middle of 2010.
Therefore, he asked the Japanese businessmen not to be too worried and to continue investing in Indonesia.
The Kansai industrial group delegation consisted of 30 businessmen from Osaka, and was led by the chairman of the Kansai Economic Federation (Kankeiren), Hiroshi Shimozuma, who also represented Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd. (*)