TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan state that the government will not raise the basic electricity tariff from July 1 until the end this year.
"As President Widodo instructed, the electricity tariffs from July until December will not be raised," Jonan said at a press conference at the Energy Ministry Building in Jakarta, Wednesday.
Jonan even asked PLN to take efficiency measures so that power tariffs can go down.
Read also: Govt: No Changes in Electricity Tariffs Until June 2017
"When there the prices of primary energy such as coal, gas, or others decline, then electricity tariffs can be lowered," he said.
Jonan said the government decided to keep the electricity tariffs as they are now after taking into account the people's demand.
Read also: PLN Increases Electricity Tariff
When asked about electricity subsidy, Jonan asserted that subsidies will only be given to those who deserve them. People eligible to receive subsidies can subscribe to PLN's 450-VA and 900-VA packages.
Currently, he said, PLN is integrating their customers' data. After cross-checks, there are customers who are eligible to get subsidies, but are still paying normal prices.
"They found 2.44 million 900-VA subscribers who are eligible for subsidies, but haven’t received them," he said.
The minister added that his Ministry has proposed for an additional Rp1.71 trillion allocated for electricity subsidy in the 2017 state budget.
CAESAR AKBAR | WAWAN PRIYANTO
