North Sumatra residents demand compensation after 17-hour power blackout

JAKARTA - Residents of North Sumatra demanded compensation from electricity company PT PLN, a unit of Indonesian sovereign wealth fund PT Daya Anagata Nusantara, after a power blackout hit most of the Indonesian province for about 17 hours from May 22.

PLN North Sumatra Main Distribution Unit spokesman Diki Nasution said the electric system in the province was restored on May 24 at 5.07am local time.

“It is already restored 100 per cent and there are no more blackouts in North Sumatra,” he told The Jakarta Post news outlet on May 24.

The blackout also affected other provinces, including Aceh, West Sumatra, Riau, Jambi and South Sumatra.

A lecturer from Medan State University, Dr Majda El Muhtaj, said PLN was obliged to compensate customers for losses suffered during the blackout, adding that he was directly impacted by the power disruption.

“The electricity was out for 17 hours in my area. This blackout paralysed my activities as a citizen,” he told the Post on May 24.

“Not only material losses, but I also suffered from immaterial losses because my family and I were panicked during the blackout.”

Dr Majda said internet access was also disrupted during the blackout.

Referring to Indonesia’s Energy and Mineral Resources Ministerial Regulation, he said that PLN had to reduce electricity bills if the utility company’s service level failed to meet the standards promised to customers.

“According to the regulation, PLN must pay compensation of 35 per cent from demand charge and 20 per cent for non-adjustment customers,” Dr Majda said.

Medan Legal Aid Institute director Irvan Saputra also said PLN had to compensate customers for the blackout based on a consumer protection law, which stipulates that ”consumers are eligible for convenience, security and safety in consuming goods and/or service”.

Mr Irvan also referred to an electricity law that emphasises consumers are entitled to good service and continuous power supply that meets a certain level of quality and reliability.

He also said that regulations explicitly require PLN to compensate customers for poor electricity service quality that causes disruptions leading to losses for customers.

North Sumatra PLN communication manager Darm Saputra refused to comment on the demands for compensation.

Vendors at traditional markets, food stalls and souvenir centres were forced to close their shops much earlier during the blackout because they could not operate without lighting and air-conditioning. This led to losses for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.

Several automated teller machines were also not functioning during the power outage.

Mr Abdurahman Azhar from Stabat in Langkat regency said his neighbourhood was affected by the power outage for 23 hours from the evening of May 22.

“We are sweltering in heat and could not sleep because it was very hot,” he told the Post on May 23. “I could not turn on the air-conditioning because there was no electricity.”

Meanwhile, food stall owner Fridayah Shinta Maharani said she lost about 70 per cent of her daily income because customers did not want to visit her stall.

“Most people wanted to visit a cafe to charge their mobile phones,” he said. “The blackout was really, really devastating for businesses.”

Many people flocked to hotels, cafes and fast-food restaurants to avoid the sweltering heat.

Deli Serdang regency resident Iis Anggraini said: “My children, grandchildren and I went to a cafe in Medan. Then, when we went back home it was dark out.

“The following day, we went to Binjai regency to get food early in the morning because we could not cook at home as there is no electricity.”

Some establishments were forced to close much earlier because they could not keep up with the influx of customers after the blackout.

Supply imbalances

PLN president director Darmawan Prasodjo apologised on May 23 in Jakarta to all residents of Sumatra for the blackout and said that the recovery process was still ongoing in many areas in Sumatra.

“We are doing our best so the electricity system can be back again, and the public can enjoy electricity as soon as possible,” he told a press conference that day.

Mr Darmawan said the blackout happened on Friday at 6.44pm local time in the 275-kilovolt transmission line between Muara Bungo and Sungai Rumbai in Jambi province, owing to extreme weather.

The transmission line then went offline from the Sumatra electricity grid, affecting the interconnected power generators.

“There were some regions which experienced oversupply because the load was lost, causing the electricity system’s frequency and voltage to increase, so the power plants were automatically offline from the system,” he said.

“The power plants were automatically shut down.”

Mr Darmawan added that the incident caused other regions to suffer power deficits.

“Automatically, power generators in these areas were also offline from the electricity grid and were shut down.”

PLN North Sumatra general manager Mundakhir Salman said 543 electric substations were affected by the blackout, with 382 of them still offline on May 23.

He said several areas in North Sumatra were still experiencing blackouts and the utility company had sent generator sets to public facilities, such as hospitals, to enable them to operate normally.

PLN UID Aceh general manager Eddi Saputra said all Aceh regions were affected by the blackout, except for Sabang and Simeulue which are separated from mainland Sumatra.

“Banda Aceh recovered quickly, but Nagan still needs time to recover. Other regions are taking turns in turning on the electricity.” THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK