Power bill suspended until August

Power bill suspended until August

JAKARTA: The House of Representatives suspended on Friday the
deliberation of the power bill, but will resume the debate after
the Aug. 1-12 Annual Session of the People's Consultative
Assembly.

Priyo Budi Santoso, a legislator of House Commission VIII on
energy and environment, said the House hoped to be able to pass
the bill into law late in August.

"The House has decided to suspend deliberation of the
electricity bill until next month's annual session. But we and
the government have agreed to pass the bill into law by Aug. 28
at the earliest," he told The Jakarta Post.

The law will terminate the long-held monopoly of state-owned
electricity company PLN. This will help attract private
investment into the power sector.

Initially, the House was expected to finish the deliberation
on Friday.

However, Priyo said, the House decided to continue the
deliberation after the annual session because there were some
crucial points that need further discussion.

Without giving details, Priyo mentioned several crucial points
being debated. They include the establishment of the Power Market
Agency, non-competitive and competitive areas, new technology in
electricity, and more.

Opponents of the bill have warned the power law would open the
sector to a free market system and would cause electricity prices
to soar. -- JP