Anticipating Extreme Weather, PLN Alerts 81,000 Officers

JAKARTA - PT PLN (Persero) deployed more than 81,000 officers to maintain electricity reliability amid extreme weather challenges during the month of Ramadan.

PLN President Director Darmawan Prasodjo said that currently the electricity system in Indonesia is generally in normal condition with sufficient electricity supply. Nevertheless, his party continues to alert personnel in the field so they can move quickly in the face of extreme weather.

"People's activities during Ramadan increase, starting from sahur in the early morning, to tarawih in the evening. "We want all people to be able to live it comfortably," said Darmawan, quoted Monday, March 18.

Darmawan said PLN projects the national peak load in Ramadan to grow by around 4.9 percent compared to last year or 31,640 Megawatts (MW). With a supply capacity of 51,429 MW, there are total reserves of 19,789 MW.

Darmawan added that extreme weather such as rain accompanied by strong winds and floods are challenges in maintaining electricity reliability this Ramadan. For this reason, he has deployed officers in all units to carry out Ramadan alerts to maintain electricity reliability.

“There are indeed extreme weather challenges in several areas. There were floods in Central Java and East Kalimantan, then there were strong winds in NTT and NTB. We have prepared officers and work equipment in the field. "So when disturbances occur due to extreme weather, officers immediately act quickly to deal with them," said Darmawan.

PLN also prepared supporting equipment during the standby period in the form of 1,731 Gensets, 735 Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS), 1,091 Mobile Substation Units (UGB), 116 Mobile Cable Units (UKB) and 395 Cranes. In order to facilitate the mobilization of officers, PLN has prepared operational vehicles of 3,756 cars and 3,318 motorbikes.

Darmawan also appealed to the public to remain careful when operating electricity at home, especially when floods have hit. People need to move electrical equipment to a safe place and immediately turn off the electricity from the Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB).

"After that, immediately contact PLN via PLN Mobile or the nearest PLN office to request temporary security of electricity supply. PLN officers will continue to be on standby so that religious services can take place comfortably," concluded Darmawan.