Trial open over April's eight-hour blackout

JAKARTA (JP): A trial against state-owned electricity company PLN over an eight-hour blackout started yesterday at the South Jakarta District Court.

The Indonesian Consumers Foundation filed a class action on behalf of more than one million people affected by the blackout on Sunday, April 13, said the foundation's lawyers from the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute.

"If each consumer was to file suit separately the legal process would not be simple, fast, or cheap as the law requires," the lawsuit stated.

The foundation is demanding that PLN pay Rp 1,464,000 (US$595) in damages to its office, and Rp 664,000 to each PLN customer affected by the blackout.

The amount was revised from the damages stated in a lawsuit filed in May when the foundation demanded Rp 650,000 in damages for its office and Rp 500,000 for each affected PLN customer.

The lawsuit claims that PLN violated the 1985 electricity law and a 1989 government decree on provision of electricity, which require the company to provide optimum service.

The foundation is also demanding that PLN open counters at its offices in Java and Bali for people seeking compensation.

Presiding judge K. Simanjuntak suggested that the plaintiff and the accused seek an out-of-court settlement.

Minister of Mines and Energy I.B. Sudjana said in April that the power was cut to repair earlier detected faults at Gandul transmission I and load control in Cinere, South Jakarta.

Sunday was chosen for the power cut because most factories and commercial offices were usually closed, he said.

While repair work was underway, transmission line II overloaded because three electronic cards at Gandul that provided load protection were out of order. This caused the Suralaya power station to fail, cutting off power to most areas in Java and Bali.

The session was adjourned to July 8, when PLN lawyers are scheduled respond to the foundation's charges. (05)