Power blackout hits Samarinda and Balikpapan

State owned electricity company PLN began its partial blackout program in Samarinda and Balikpapan, the main cities in East Kalimantan, on Thursday due to the shortage of fuel to run the company's power plants in the province.

Kaltim Post reported on Friday that Samarinda and Balikpapan would have no electricity for about two hours a day for 15 days beginning Thursday. The power blackout will be rotated within the areas in the two cities.

Redy Rachman, the head of PLN's office in East Kalimantan, said that PLN had no choice but to reduce the power supply because the larger part of the diesel fuel allocated by Pertamina for the local power plants had been almost used up.

"If the use of the fuel is not reduced, the fuel will be only enough until October," he said, adding that the power supply began to worsen when the operation of the Tanjung Batu combined cycled power plant had to be stopped due to a technical problem.

"We are still waiting for spare parts from Scotland. Hopefully, the new power plant can soon be operated normally," he added. (*)