Power Blackouts

Jul 8th, 2008, in Business & Economy, by

PLNPlanned electricity blackouts in some areas of Jakarta in July. Don’t panic!

The state electricity company, PT PLN (Persero), has announced that between 11-25 July 2008 rolling power blackouts will occur, for seven hours at a time, in Jakarta (certain parts of Gambir, Kebayoran, and Kramat Jati) and parts of Tangerang, between the hours of 08.00-15.00 and 15.00-22.00 WIB.

The reason for the blackouts is given as gas supply problems at two power stations, PLTGU Muara Karang and PLTGU Tanjung Priok.

Purnomo Yusgiantoro
Purnomo Yusgiantoro

The blackouts will affect both households and businesses/factories, while the Energy minister, Purnomo Yusgiantoro, says he has received a letter of concern from an association of Japanese industrialists in Jakarta, to which he responded: republika

Don’t panic

The exact list of areas affected can be viewed at the pln website.


12 Comments on “Power Blackouts”

  1. Bule Harga says:

    Well on the one hand, it’s nice that they at least notified before just cutting the power rather than just the usual practice of cutting power without warning. On the other hand, the real reason the power is ever cut anyway (get ready for it cuz it’s never spoken about) is so power can be diverted to power-sucking companies (factories, what-have-you) who pay a little extra somethin’-somethin’ to the energy authorities at the expense affected areas who will experience the blackouts.

  2. PrimaryDrive says:

    Well, industries should have higher precedence over households anyway.

  3. Bule Harga says:

    Hi PD – Could you please explain why you believe that?

  4. Janma says:

    If they cut off the power to my house it’s an inconvenience. If they cut it off to my factory I lose money! Lots of it…. That’s why industry should get precedence.

  5. Harris says:

    Never invest your money in Indonesia.

  6. PrimaryDrive says:

    Bule Harga: Hi PD – Could you please explain why you believe that?

    Janma has worded it very well 🙂

    Following the news lately confirm that Indonesia is on its way into a huge energy crisis. This PLN blackouts in just a vanguard. If you read Editorial in Jakarta Post they are already sound the alarm in increasing tone. February 08: Power Crisis. July 08: Bigger Power Crisis. The lastest today: Power Rationing.

    Energy is really the most important of all. Without it, our economy will halt. To see the proportion of the crisis is quite simple. You project like 15 years to the future. Sum up all energy sources we would have. These sources are already insufficient, and are declining. Calculate our need over 15 years. Data from Bapenas suggest our energy consumption grows by 7% annually. That means over 15 years we need 2.75x more energy than what we consume now, whereas our sources, if we do nothing about them, deplete. That means that our own sources can only supply like 30% of our total consumption!! That will definitely crush our economy.

    The only things realistic I can come up with to counter this is: (1) decline the population, and (2) nuclear power.

  7. ultratupai says:

    “Indonesia is a rich country but we are poor people, why is that?” I have heard that on more than one occasion from my brother-in-law. It’s part question and part statement and part indictment. How can there be an energy crisis in Indonesia when the country is so energy rich?

    Globalization, multi-national corporations, and the corrupt political elite have conspired to steal the wealth of Indonesia for the benefit of themselves and at the expense of the national welfare.

    This is not inherently an Indonesian problem as we see here in the US record profits being posted by the oil companies the likes which have never been seen in the history of capitalism.

    And the US is, after all, fighting a war for oil in Iraq.

    Given the dire warnings we have been given regarding global climate change it seems folly to continue to pursue our fossil fuel way of life but that way of life cannot be changed over night,

    Oil profits need to be used to stabilize energy needs and to seek alternative sources of energy through developing those technologies.

    More to the point the wealth of the nation needs to be spread horizontally and not vertically.

    Right now that profits sit in the bank accounts of the rich and the rest of us can all go to hell.

    My favorite quote of late is from A, N, Whitehead, “It is the business of the future to be dangerous”.

    We will soon see just how dangerous it will be.

  8. PrimaryDrive says:

    ultratupai:
    “Indonesia is a rich country but we are poor people, why is that?”

    Globalization, multi-national corporations, and the corrupt political elite have conspired to steal the wealth of Indonesia for the benefit of themselves and at the expense of the national welfare.

    I posed that question in my blog, and got a very good answer: because we are not productive! That means we’re busy doing things (like myself working my ass 10 hours a day), but we are not doing things smartly. Out of our hard labour comes only goods of low value. That’s why we’re poor. Now the ultimate crime of the corruption in Indonesia is not so much in the money swindled to own pockets, but country mismanagements and wrong policies that ultimately leave our people stupid rather than educating them smart. As long as the majority of us is stupid, we will always be sewing nike shoes for living.

    More to the point the wealth of the nation needs to be spread horizontally and not vertically.

    I’m afraid at the moment there isn’t much to distribute. Even if all rich people in Indonesia would donate half their possesion to the government, that would help today, but not in the long run.

    In general the key to increase our production is technology. That means we have to invest in education and in research. But if we just start today, the benefit wont be visible until like 50 years ahead. With the coming energy crisis, we don’t actually have that much time.

    What I’m saying in my previous post is basically: brace up people, because we’re going to crash down. BUT, if we stick together, and are willing to make the sacrifice, our children may stand a chance to ever rise again as proud and happy indonesians.

  9. sputjam says:

    I hope new blackouts not due to dispute on cost of gas supply.

    Anyway, there is a solution of there is a serous power shortage in Indonesia. Just buy the electricity from Malaysia, which have a serious over supply situation, by submarine cables. This would be ideal for sumatra, but maybe not for Java due to distance.

  10. Bule Harga says:

    @ ultratupai: Sorry but why is Indonesia’s problem all of the sudden the fault of the U.S.?

    Also you mention “And the US is, after all, fighting a war for oil in Iraq.”

    While there may be some indirect truth in the oil statement, U.S. is fighting a war in Iraq because we can’t let crazy terrorists run amuk. While I agree that U.S. can’t necessarily change the landscape too much because the incessant fighting between religions in the Middle East has gone on for thousands of years already in the region…and U.S. won’t be able to change that, someone has to at least have the b*lls to attempt to create some stability in the region.

    People need to get off their high horse and blaming U.S. any time their country is facing a hardship due to their own corrupt governments. Oil shouldn’t be exported out of Indo, processed and then turned right around and be purchased (imported) back into the country. This is a waste of time, money and resources. There are some big MNC oil companies in Indonesia from whom Indonesians could learn and start their own oil refining companies. There’s a lot of money that could be made, not to mention self-containment if Indo could figure out how to process their own crude.

    My two cents.

  11. Deng Xiao Ping says:

    because the incessant fighting between religions in the Middle East has gone on for thousands of years already in the region…and U.S. won’t be able to change that, someone has to at least have the b*lls to attempt to create some stability in the region.

    that’s true , it is the fact , everyone know. They fight among themselve sunni vs sunnah, creating radical ideologies (plural) but keep on blaming westerners.
    Today in China, those terrorist Hisbut Tahrir want to declare Islamic China country , ho ho ho …. DXP says … in your dream !

    There are 2 billion chinese non islam in China and only 8 million chinese muslim in western part of tiny China region, we surely can pester them all, no problem.

    and if Indonesian power black out then to blame USA, it sounds the same pattern again and again, quite boring actually ….

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