MEDAN: Electricity came back online on Sunday (May 24) after a total blackout in almost all of Sumatra since Friday evening, causing massive disruptions as the public is demanding compensations from electricity company PT PLN, a unit of Indonesian sovereign wealth fund PT Daya Anagata Nusantara.
Spokesman of PLN North Sumatra Main Distribution Unit (UID), Diki Nasution, said the electric system in the province returned to normal at 5:07am, and ensured there would be no more blackouts.
“It is already restored 100 per cent and there are no more blackouts in North Sumatra,” he told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
The blackout affected not only North Sumatra, but also other provinces inlcuding Aceh, West Sumatra, Riau, Jambi and South Sumatra.
A lecturer from Medan State University, Majda El Muhtaj, said PLN was obliged to provide compensiations on losses suffered by customers during the blackout. He said that he was one of the cutomers who directly suffered from the blackout.
“The electricity was out for 17 hours in my area, this blackout has paralyzed my activities as a citizen,” he told the Post on Sunday.
”Not only material losses, but I also suffered from immaterial losses because my family and I were panicked during the blackout.” Majda said the internet was also disrupted during the blackout, limiting their function.
He said residents are eligible for compensation for the Sumatra blackout. The compensation is regulated in the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministerial Regulaton No. 18/2019 on service quality level and costs related to electricity distribution.
Referring to the ministerial regulation, he said that PLN must reduce electricity bills if electricity service quality level is not up to the standard as 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,” Majda said.
Separately, the Medan Legal Aid Institute (LBH) director Irvan Saputra said PLN must pay compensation for the blackout. The compensation is regulated by Article 4 of Law No. 8/1999 on Consumer Protection, which stipulates that ”consumers are eligible for convenience, security and safety in consuming goods and/or service”.
Irvan added that the consumers rights are also in line with Article 29 clauses 1a and 1b from Law No. 30/2009 on Electricity which emphasizes that consumers are entitled to receive good service and get continuous electiricy with good quality and reliability.
He also said that Articles 6 and 6A from the 2018 ministerial regulation explicitly require PLN to provide compensation for bad electricity service qulity causing the period and number of disruptions leading to customers’ losses.
Darm Saputra refused to comment on the demands for compensation. ”I’m sorry, please be patient,” he said after being contacted several times.
Vendors at traditional markets, food stalls and souvenir centers were forced to close their shops much earlier because they cannot operate without lighting and air conditioning. This led to losses for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) due to the blackout.
Several automated teller machines (ATMs) were not functioning, disrupting the public’s cash transactions. Abdurahman Azhar from Stabat in Langkat regency, said the electricity was out since Friday evening for 23 hours in his neighbourhood.
“We are sweltering in heat and could not sleep because it was very hot,” he told the Post on Saturday.
“I could not turn on the air conditioner 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 café to charge their handphones,” he said. “The blackout was really, really devastating for businesses.”
Many people flocked to hotels, cafés and fast-food restaurants to avoid the sweltering heat.
“My children, grandchildren, and I went to a café in Medan, then when we went back home it was dark out,,” said Iis Anggraini from Deli Serdang regency.
“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 of the establishments were forced to close much earlier because they could not keep up with the influx of customers after the blackout.
Separately in Jakarta, PLN president director Darmawan Prasodjo apologised on Saturday to all residents of Sumatra for the blackout and said that recovery process was still on going 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 on Saturday. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
