PLN: Rolling Blackouts Remain until This Afternoon

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The acting president director of State-owned Power Company Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), Sripeni Inten Cahyani, said that rolling blackouts will still occur until today’s afternoon, August 5.

“We apologized that the MLS (Manual Load Shedding) or rolling blackouts will still continue. Hopefully, as soon as the big power plants' operation run normally later on, the number of the affected areas will drop,” said Cahyani in the firm’s main office, Jakarta, Monday, August 5.

According to her, the company conducts this rolling blackout plan as it is waiting for the recovery of the network and the power plant system. For example, only one generator in the highest steam-fueled power plant (PLTU) of Suralaya that has started the operation at 03:00 a.m. with a total of 400 megawatts.

“And it will gradually increase,” she added.

During Sunday’s press conference, she targeted to normalize the electricity supply before midnight, yet it did not work out. “In the electricity system, there is a network and generator. So when the network is quite ready, the generator can be operated one by one,” Cahyani explained.

She said that the recovery process and the distribution of electric power from 500kV to 150kV and until 20kV to consumers required time.

Previously reported; West Java, Jakarta, and Banten were paralyzed due to a major blackout at 11:48 a.m. on Sunday, August 4. The incident was caused by several troubles in the extra high voltage 500 kV transmission of Ungaran - Pemalang. 

HENDARTYO HANGGI