Java Blackout; PLN to Compensate 21.3mn Affected Customers

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Djoko Raharjo Abumanan, PLN's second director of strategic procurement, said that 21.3 million customers were affected by the power outage over the past two days. He said the customers would all receive compensation in the form of discounts.

The amount of compensation, said Djoko, will be calculated directly by PLN.

"We are asking to speak with the shareholders. We are asked by Energy Minister Ignasius Jonan to arrange [the compensation] as wit would be PLN's corporate action. But we need permission from shareholders," Djoko said at PLN Headquarters , Monday, August 5.

According to Djoko, PLN has 71 million customers, meaning that those affected by the blackout accounted for 30 percent of all customers in Indonesia.

In the same location, PLN's acting president director Sripeni Inten Cahyani said compensating customers is regulated by the Energy and Mineral Resources Minister's Regulation. She said that PLN is committed to implementing it.

"There are clear rules about it, and the formulation is there. All we need to do is follow it," he said.

Right now, she said, PLN is calculating the amount of compensation/discount to be given..

On Sunday, August 5, there was massive blackout in West Java, Jakarta and Banten from 11:48 until almost midnight. The company said it was caused by disturbances to the company's 500-kV Extra High Voltage Air Duct (SUTET) in Ungaran-Pemalang.

HENDARTYO HANGGI