Millions suffer one-day blackout in Java and Bali

Millions suffer one-day blackout in Java and Bali

JAKARTA (JP): Millions of people in Java and Bali were angered
yesterday by a power blackout which lasted until late in the
evening in many areas.

The power failure hit most of the capital city, its
surrounding towns and several other towns in Java and Bali,
creating chaos at intersections as most traffic lights were out.

The massive power outage began at about 10.00 a.m. and lasted
only a few hours in several cities.

But most areas in the capital regained power only after 8 p.m.

Electric rail services between the city and the suburbs,
including Bogor, Bekasi and Tangerang were interrupted, leaving
many weekend travelers stranded for hours.

The last major power failure to hit the country was in
January, 1992.

Several hotels in the city were suddenly crowded by families
who sought a more convenient place for their weekend.

The Jakarta Hilton International, Central Jakarta, the
Ambhara, Kemang Hotel and the Crystal in South Jakarta were among
those fully booked.

"People said they couldn't even bathe at home," a reservations
officer said.

Several people angered by the power failure expressed their
outrage to The Jakarta Post. One of the callers even suggested
the minister of mines and energy resign over the incident. Others
reported frustration after enduring traffic jams from Cianjur to
Puncak and Jakarta although police had deployed extra traffic
officials.

The situation caused confusion as most PLN offices either
refused to answer inquiries or provided contradictory
explanations.

"No one can tell us what's going on," a reader in Cilandak
said. PLN phone lines were busy all day.

Djiteng Marsudi, president of the State Electricity Company
(PLN), said later in the evening that the power failure was
caused by technical problems at the 500-kilovolt transmission
networks between the huge Suralaya power station in the
westernmost tip of West Java and the load control station in
Gandul, south of here.

"The technical problems interrupted power supply from
Suralaya," Djiteng said.

The Suralaya power station, with a total supply of 1,600
megawatts, is the single largest generator in Java. Its power is
transmitted through the Java-Bali interconnection system.

The Gandul station is the coordinator and controller of power
for the Java-Bali power interconnection system.

But the blackout did not affect areas connected to the power
station in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta.

Hospitals, hotels and the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport
continued activities as usual backed up by generators. Smaller
establishments, like 24-hour chemists, did not fare so well.
Barberers in Bogor attended to clients with candles.

Some stalls increased candle prices from Rp 100 to Rp 250.

Several automatic teller machines were out of order. Motorists
queuing at gas stations left empty-handed as not all had
generator power.

The Indolink pager service sent a message to customers at 6
p.m., saying it would postpone messages until electricity was
back to normal.

Celebrations were also disturbed, including the wedding of the
son of Hadi Abednego, a high ranking Ministry of Health official.

Sports fans were disappointed as they could not watch
yesterday's soccer and boxing matches. Power was cut prior to the
Oscar de la Hoya vs Pernell Whitaker boxing match. Dozens called
the private television station RCTI to ask for the results of the
soccer match between Indonesia and Yemen. (team)