National Electricity Consumption Reaches 65.42 TWh In First Quarter 2022, Industry Sector Absorbs 33.56 Percent

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JAKARTA - PT PLN (Persero) recorded an increase in electricity consumption by 8.42 percent year on year (yoy) to 65.42 Terra Watt hour (TWh) in the first quarter of this year.

PLN's Executive Vice President of Corporate Communications and CSR, Agung Murdifi, said that this increase in electricity consumption is a positive signal of national economic recovery in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“People's activities have recovered, thus encouraging electricity consumption. Especially in the industrial and retail sectors, electricity consumption is increasing," Agung said in his statement to VOI, Tuesday, April 12.

According to Agung, electricity consumption in the industrial sector in the first quarter of this year reached 21,953 Giga Watt hour (GWh). That figure is 33.56 percent of the total national consumption.

“When compared to March last year, consumption growth in the industrial sector was still 4 percent. However, this year it has increased by 16 percent,” said Agung.

Among all sectors, said Agung, the textile industry contributed the most, namely 2.8 GWh or grew 14 percent in March this year. Meanwhile, the iron and steel sector was 2.01 GWh, up 10 percent. Meanwhile, the chemical industry grew 8 percent with a consumption of 1.6 GWh and the cement industry grew 7 percent with a consumption of 1.4 GWh.

"The increase in electricity sales was followed by an increase in customer connected power. In March 2022, the number reached 153,744 Mega Volt Ampere (MVA) or grew 11.28 percent compared to last year," he added.

Agung continued, several efforts were made by PLN to increase the use of electricity in the industrial sector. One of them is through captive power acquisition, which is a form of PLN service support in fulfilling electricity supply for industrial customers who still operate their own power plants.

Through this service, customers who have captive power can stop operating their power plants and fully entrust their electricity supply to PLN. That way, customers can focus more on their business development affairs and are no longer busy in operating their own power plants.

Agung emphasized that PLN was continuously trying to find new market gaps. A number of sectors are now being targeted by PLN, such as agriculture, animal husbandry, plantations and fisheries, as well as marine. "We are developing electrifying agriculture and electrifying marine," said Agung.

PLN is also campaigning for a new lifestyle, namely an electrifying lifestyle through the use of low-emission and environmentally friendly electronic equipment. In addition, PLN also runs a number of programs that provide convenience for customers, such as discounts on the cost of adding electricity and the convenience of new installation services.

According to Agung, customers can enjoy various service facilities through the PLN Mobile application. After being launched on December 18, 2020, more than 27 million users have registered on the PLN Mobile application with a satisfaction level of 4.8 out of 5.