Partial blackout in East Java as PLN lacks supply

State electricity company PLN said that the shortage of electricity supply in East Java would force the company to carry out a partial blackout in the province beginning next year particularly during peak hours, Suara Karya reported on Saturday.

The spokesman of the company?s business unit in East Java, Bambang Hatmanto, said the electricity company was seeking to buy electricity from private companies in a bid to increase the power supply.

"PLN is ready to buy electricity from private companies with price of up to Rp 409 per kWh," he was quoted saying.

Bambang said that the partial blackout could not be avoided because the existing generating capacity of 18.20 MW had been already too small to meet the demand, which had reached 16 MW.

According to him, the demand for the electricity would continue to increase within the next two years in line with the improvement in the economy, while building new power plant will be too expensive for PLN.(*)