Military owes Rp 23b to PLN

PURWOKERTO, Central Java (JP): Military offices owe some Rp 23 billion (US$3.1 million) in overdue accounts to Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), the state owned electricity company's president Kuntoro Mangkusubroto has said.

Kuntoro said that the Military's overdue payment was part of the company's total unpaid claims of about Rp 157 billion from its institutional customers.

Other debtors included provincial governments, that owe a total of Rp 15 billion, and social organizations such schools which owe some Rp 50 billion, he said.

"We will try to collect the unpaid invoices including those from the Military," he said. But he added that PLN would not force them to pay the claim.

Minister of Mines and Energy Susilo Bambang Yudhiyono said earlier PLN might lose Rp 13.7 trillion during the April-December 2000 fiscal year if it failed to improve its efficiency.

The state electricity company has been experiencing financial difficulties the last three years due to its inefficiency and the large amount of its overdue payments to independent power producers. (45/07)