Power theft causes Rp 11.5b loss

Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

State electricity company PT PLN is bringing charges against 235 customers, mostly industrial companies, in Jakarta and Tangerang for stealing electricity and inflicting financial losses of up to Rp 11.5 billion (US$1.35 million).

PT PLN announced on Monday that the power thefts were uncovered during its Operasi Petir 2003 monitoring operation, conducted in June and August.

The operation team has classified the violations and determined the arrears to be paid by the 235 customers. It is also investigating and evaluating 287 other companies.

The companies could face criminal charges under Law No. 20/2002 on electricity, as well as civil law charges. If found guilty, the owners could be imprisoned for up to five years and fined up to Rp 500 million.

The companies raided in the ongoing operation were those using a power rate of 200 kilovolt ampere (kVA) and over.

"We are limiting the investigation to those using 200 kVA and up because they are the biggest users of electricity," said Harry Ronald, head of the operation team.

He added that the limitation did not rule out the possibility of monitoring and raiding residences.

The operation is a joint effort between PLN and the city police, involving raids on areas where power theft is suspected. It is a fresh attempt to take power thieves to court because in the past power theft incurred only a fine.

"The thefts have inflicted huge losses on PLN and will affect power prices. We are concerned more about the customers who pay their bills as they will suffer because of the stealing," Harry said.

The theft is mostly accomplished by slowing down the rotation of the meter or through the placement of a metal strip in the meter to prevent the recording of power usage.

Harry added that the companies charged with theft were mostly based in Kapuk and Kalideres, both in West Jakarta, and in the Tangerang area, where there are industrial complexes.

Currently four companies are going through criminal proceedings. Police named a company in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, and a supermarket in Kebayoran, South Jakarta, among the four.

To make the operation more effective, PLN is seeking the help of citizens in reporting power theft.

"We are offering a reward for anyone who reports power theft. The reward is in the form of cash equal to 3 percent of the total arrears collected from the party charged with theft," said Harry.