PLN Targets To Reduce Debt Burden Of IDR 5 Trillion Per Year

JAKARTA - PT PLN (Persero) targets to reduce the debt burden of IDR 5 trillion per year.

PLN President Director Darmawan Prasodjo revealed, in terms of debt management, PLN was able to reduce debt from Rp451 trillion in 2020 to Rp417 trillion in June 2022.

"With efficiency conditions and optimization of capital expenditure (Capex), PLN is able to mitigate external factors that have an impact on PLN's finances," he said in an official statement, Thursday, August 18.

According to Darmawan, the efficiency carried out has become the resilience for PLN to face all challenges, one of which is the challenge of decreasing demand.

Despite the declining demand in the last two years, PLN still posted positive financial reports.

"Pak Erick has given directions to PLN for efficiency and innovation. Therefore, we must first reduce costs. We do digital transformation, we dismantle our business processes. We simplify so that we can be faster and more competitive," said Darmawan.

Not only encouraging efficiency, Darmawan said PLN will also continue to take steps to encourage electricity demand growth.

This effort is realized through programs such as Electrifying Agriculture, Electrifying Marine and Electrifying Lifestyle.

PLN also continues to encourage the massive use of electric vehicles by continuing to intensify the construction of the Public Electric Vehicle Charging Station (SPKLU).

As of July, there are currently 142 SPKLU units spread across 109 locations throughout Indonesia.

In addition, PLN also encourages people to use induction stoves instead of LPG stoves.

It was recorded that 2,000 beneficiary families (KPM) had converted LPG-fueled stoves to induction cookers in Surakarta, Central Java and Denpasar, Bali.

With directions from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, the Ministry of SOEs, and coordinated by the Coordinating Ministry for the Economy.

This year, PLN targets the conversion of 300,000 induction cookers.

Previously, Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Erick Thohir explained that his party had tried to promote transformation and efficiency so that SOEs' operations remained strong despite the pandemic and energy crisis.

One of the state-owned enterprises that has demonstrated the achievement of transformation is PLN.

Erick assessed that PLN is one of the examples of SOEs that have succeeded in implementing efficiency and transformation. Erick said PLN was able to reduce debt, even during the pandemic.

"This shows that PLN is healthy and we encourage it to continue to be healthy so that it can carry out its duties as a BUMN and for the community," concluded Erick.