Electricity Shutdowns by PLN

Right now, or for about 15 days (11th-25th July 2008), the national electricity company (PLN: Perusahaan Listrik Negara) is conducting intermittent power shutdowns in Jakarta, Indonesia. It is done because of lack of gas supplies to Tanjung Priok and Muara Karang plants. PLN said that the company would try to conduct maintenance while the shutdowns is conducted. As the result, many companies including hotels, factories, malls, etch. have to have their generators be ready to work. Besides, they have to make sure that their customers wouldn't have make complaints due to they dissatisfaction. For your information, the shutdowns were already happened in another region in Indonesia, not only in Jakarta.

These shutdowns, of course, are protested by the companies above. They feel that the shutdowns would give an impact to their productivity. Even though they can use the generators as subtitutes, the devices can only provide electricity at most 80% of maximum capacity. How can a garment factory, for example, produce its customer's demands?

The shutdowns also will be concerns for the investors or the investor candidates. If the shutdowns are happened frequently, positively they will go to invest their capital in another country which can give them more profits. If this thing happens, this country will fall down to its lower point. A bit extreme, but can possibly be happened.

I wonder if the government has ever thought about the impacts of the shutdowns for a long term. Aren't there another options instead of conducting the shutdowns? I don't know if I can't blame the government, but it's like the shutdowns are caused by the government's lack to provide another resources besides gases and oil (Is oil used as fuel for the electricity plants? I really don't know) like solar, wind, water, even nuclear energy.

PLN said that the company had a lost instead of making profits. The company too had decided to change the electricity tariff policy. The objectives are to minimize the electricity usage by the society and to minimize its operational cost. Till now, I've never heard that the new policy had brought good impacts to PLN's performance in general.

When I studied in university, my friends and I worked on homeworks related to innovators who bring their new ideas to develop their community. My group presented Tri Mumpuni as our idol. With her husband, she created a device to provide electricity in their communities using micro-hydropower plant. Here is a link to the story: http://www.ashoka.org/node/3870

Instead of blaming our government, especially PLN, on this matter, we have to help the government and PLN to minimize the electricity usage. If we don't use any electric devices, we have to turn it off. If necessary, we can unplug the cable connected to the electricity. It too gives an advantage to prevent global warming.

"To improve our lives, we have to do small things together, so that the things will give positive big impacts to our lives."