PLN asks industrial users to reduce electricity consumption

State owned electricity company PLN has asked industrial users to reduce their electricity consumption particularly during peak hours to anticipate the possible shortage of the power supply next year, Bisnis Indonesia reported on Tuesday.

PLN?s marketing director Tunggono said in Jakarta on Monday that if industrial users could not reduce their power utilization, the shortage of power supply could reach 600 MW next year. "If the industrial users particularly those which utilize between 25 MW and 30 MW reduced their power consumption, the energy which could be save would reach 600 MW.

According to Tunggono, PT Kesa Indotama, one of large-scale industrial users, had agreed to cut its electricity consumption in order to cope with the power shortage problem. He said that PLN would further lobby other large-scale industrial users to make a similar commitment.

In addition to industrial users, PLN would also approach big retail operators so that a partial electricity blackout could be avoided, he said. " We will try our best not to carry out a partial blackout even if there is acute shortage in the electricity supply. (*)