One Day before Eid al-Fitr 2020, Electricity Supply to Sumatra and Kalimantan is Safe

One Day before Eid al-Fitr 2020, Electricity Supply to Sumatra and Kalimantan is Safe

The electricity supply to both Sumatra and Kalimantan islands one day before Eid al-Fitr 2020 is reported to be safe. According to data from the EMR Sector's National Command Post for Eid al-Fitr 2020 (Posko) of electricity subsector of 23 May 2020, the electricity condition of Sumatra is safe, except the Bangka Belitung system which has been in critical status on 16, 18, 19, and 20 of May at night peak load. Meanwhile, the electricity condition in Kalimantan in the period 17-22 May 2020 is safe in general.

Director of Electricity Business Fostering, Hendra Iswahyudi, during the Posko's virtual reporting via a video conference with heads of PLN's Work Units in Sumatra and Kalimantan regions on Saturday (23/5), expresses his appreciation that amid the Covid-19 pandemic, several electricity systems such as Aceh, Lampung, West Kalimantan, South and Central Kalimatan still show positive growth in electricity consumption.

Hendra hopes the state utility company PT PLN (Persero) still gives best service to the public amid the pandemic and ahead of this year's Eid celebration. "I hope PLN will report the electricity condition through the Posko, especially related to weather condition, so that people can celebrate Lebaran comfortably," said Hendra.

Also present in the virtual meeting are PT PLN (Persero) Director of Sumatra and Kalimantan Regional Business, Wiluyo Kusdwiharto, and his ranks, including the duty officers from the electricity subsector of the Posko.

Electricity Condition of Sumatra and Kalimantan

Regarding the electricity readiness in Sumatra and Kalimantan, Wiluyo says that he has put about 2,000 personnel on standby in Sumatra and Kalimantan and prepared the equipment to support the electricity for Eid.

He says that based on experience from previous years, natural conditions often disrupt the electricity systems of Sumatra and Kalimantan, but his team has anticipated these through network maintenance, such as by cutting trees that may cause disruption to the transmission and distribution networks. In addition, his team has also put their focus on the transmission and the power plants in anticipation of widespread power disruptions.

"Last year, on Eid eve, an electrical tower was knocked down, causing outage in a number of areas. To anticipate similar incident, this year we've prepared emergency tower so that if the incident recurs, we can immediately make recovery efforts," said Wiluyo.

Related to some specific incidents reported by the Posko to have taken place in Sumatra, such as the flash flood in Takengon-Central Aceh, feeder disruption by kites and fallen trees, and a tornado, Wiluyo assures that these incidents had been handled and that electricity supply has returned to normal.

Meanwhile, several specific incidents in Kalimantan reported by the Posko, namely power outages due to natural disaster and power plant difficulties. Wiluyo says that measures to normalize supply have been taken in stages so that the areas impacted by the outage will gradually recover.

To conclude the video conference, Hendra requests that all ranks of PLN remain committed to giving services, in particular amid the Covid-19 pandemic. He also requests that electricity service to the whole society is made a priority, such as for those living in the country's border areas.

"We also request PLN to pay attention to the electrical condition in Kalimantan, especially for people living in the border areas," Hendra concluded. (IY)

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