Surabaya Chamber of Commerce: Power Outages Severely Impact SMEs
Surabaya, East Java (ANTARA) - The Surabaya Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) stated that power supply disruptions over the past two weeks have had a major impact on business continuity, especially for micro, small, and medium enterprises (UMKM).
“We are highlighting the impact of power supply disruptions occurring in several areas, which have the potential to disrupt economic activity, particularly for UMKM players, home-based businesses, small and medium industries, as well as the trade and services sector,” said KADIN Surabaya Chairman M. Ali Affandi L.N.M in Surabaya on Monday.
Ali Affandi stressed that the repeated power supply disruptions require serious attention because their effects are felt directly by the community and the business world. He noted that electricity is now one of the main foundations of modern economic activity, not only for large factories but also for UMKM that depend on it.
He explained that many housewives rely on frozen food businesses for family income, laundry owners are forced to stop work, traders lose products because cooling systems fail, and small business operators lose production time and income opportunities. “Therefore, power supply disruptions must be seen as a community economic issue, not merely a technical network problem,” he stated.
He emphasised that UMKM and home-based businesses are the groups most vulnerable to power supply disruptions because most do not have backup facilities such as generators or energy storage systems. The impact is felt across various daily small business sectors, including frozen food businesses, catering, bakeries, cold beverage sellers, food stalls, laundries, tailors, small-scale printing shops, workshops, grocery stores, and digital-based enterprises.
He noted that East Java’s energy needs will continue to rise along with the development of industrial estates, logistics centres, modern trade, the digital industry, and new investments entering the region. Therefore, Ali Affandi reminded that this condition must be balanced with adequate strengthening of electricity infrastructure so that it does not become an obstacle to economic growth. “Power supply disruptions cannot be considered merely a technical issue. The impact spreads to various economic sectors, affecting business productivity, trade activities, supply chains, and people’s incomes,” he said.