Save energy or face blackout, you decide
Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
A boring night in the darkness as electricity is unceremoniously cut can turn into a romantic candlelit evening, or a festive event with a family sing-along and guitar jam session like the days before the children were glued to computers and DVDs.
It can also be frustrating, like for the young girl who turns her book to the side, trying to get the candlelight to fall on the book so she can study for an exam the next day.
For one night, it is acceptable. A blackout, for two hours on one night, can at best be enjoyable and at worst simply annoying.
Unfortunately, the blackouts -- or at least power cuts -- have become more and more frequent.
State power firm PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) called on customers early in June in Java and Bali to turn off two lights per house as the gasoline supply to several plants was cut for two weeks. It announced a possible power shortage on June 20, as a 750-megawatt (MW) plant had to stop generating power due to late delivery of petroleum fuel.
A 600 MW unit of Suralaya power plant in West Java halted its operation on Aug. 11 to repair the boiler, causing an expected 250-MW power shortage. The massive blackout started last Thursday with two units of the Suralaya plant shutting down.
PLN again made the announcement on Monday of a possible 655 MW shortage as two units with a combined capacity of 1,015 MW in Suralaya plant and Paiton plant in East Java had to be shut down for repairs. However, the public's energy-saving measure helped reduce demand during peak hours, therefore PLN did not have to go ahead with its earlier plan of a power cut.
"(Still), the vulnerability of power supply will continue until December at the very least," general manager of the Java- Bali grid's center for power distribution Muljo Adji said on Monday.
The core of the problem is simple: lack of additional power to ensure the security of supply, even as the existing plants are wearing out over time.
The usable capacity in the Java-Bali grid hovers at around 15,500 MW from an installed capacity of 19,615 MW. Lack of investment has stalled the development of new power plants as power demand has risen by some 6 percent annually.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono instructed PLN on Monday to speed up the development of three planned power plants.
Coal-fired Tanjung Jati B plant, with a capacity of 1,320 MW, and Cilacap plant (600 MW), both in Central Java, should start operation by the end of the year. PLN must also accelerate the construction of the Cilegon power plant (740 MW) in West Java by five months to be completed in February next year.
In the mean time, however, the power crisis -- what could such a situation be called other than a crisis? -- is getting worse.
PLN warned of reserves of only 120 MW in October as hydropower capacities reduce by half due to declining water levels. This means that a disruption of any kind in power plants would cause some customers to live in the dark.
"We again appeal the customers to save energy," said Muljo.
Turning off two lights in each house of half the customers will save 500 MW of power in the Java-Bali grid, he said.
One may argue that it should be the responsibility of the government, cq. PLN, to provide the power needs.
Nevertheless, it is apparent that, for now, customers have the power to save themselves from the inconvenience of blackouts -- before romance wears off, work does not get done and students have to get prescription glasses to aid their sight.