Jakarta – The real reason behind the regrouping policy for customers of of state-owned electricity firm PLN became clear when the PLN president director announced that about 40 percent of electricity produced by the company was currently unused.

"The electricity reserve is about 30 to 40 percent [of the total production]," said Sofyan in Jakarta on Thursday as reported by tempo.co.id.

The customers' regrouping is to encourage households to reduce the electricity surplus, Softan added. "We hope [the households] will increase [their consumption]," he added.

Previously, Sofyan said after the regrouping, the customers with 1,300 volt-ampere (VA), 2,200 VA, 3,500 VA and 4,400 VA would be able to access 5,500 VA electric power, while the electric power of customers with 900 VA, both subsidized and non-subsidized, as well as subsidized customers with 450 VA, would remain unchanged.

But later, PLN spokesman I Made Suprateka said the change in electrical power was optional for customers, meaning customers could reject the change.

Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) Tulus Abadi criticized the government for asking regular customers to reduce the electricity oversupply because of its 35,000-megawatt (MW) electricity program.

"The effect of the 35,000 MW electricity program is electricity oversupply. It should be sold; otherwise, the PLN will lose," Tulus said as reported by kompas.com, adding that under the program, the company had to buy electricity produced by private companies.

He rejected the regrouping policy saying it would push customers to consume more electricity. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/17/40-of-electricity-unused-pln-ceo-says.html