3,500 VA Customers Allowed To Downgrade If Object To Higher Electricity Rates

Director General of Electricity, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Rida Mulyana. (Photo: Maria Trisnawati Pongo/VOI)

JAKARTA - PT PLN (Persero) allows customers to apply for a reduction in electric power if they object to the policy of increasing electricity rates which will take effect from July 1, 2022. PLN Darmawan Prasodjo told reporters, Monday 13 June.

According to him, electricity consumption is correlated with the economic level of each customer, where customers can afford to have air conditioning or AC and well-established economic customers have AC in every room.

As previously reported, the government officially announced the adjustment of electricity rates for household customers above 3,500 Volt Ampere (VA) and above on July 1. This policy has a direct impact on increasing electricity rates. Currently, the electricity tariff for household customers is 3,500 VA to 6,600 VA. and the government group of 6,600 VA to above 200 kilovolt amperes (kVA) is still normal.

However, starting next month, the electricity tariff for household customers of this group will increase to Rp1,699.53 per kWh or 17.64 percent.

Meanwhile, customers with power above 200 kVA, which previously was only Rp. 1,114.74 per kWh, rose to Rp. 1,522.88 kWh or 36.61 percent. increased, especially the high world crude oil prices, thus increasing the burden of electricity production generated by PLN. Every 1 US dollar increase in world crude oil prices has an impact on the overall cost of electricity production by up to Rp500 billion. so that the electricity compensation can be right on target.

From 2017 to 2021, middle-class economy customers of 3,500 VA and above have enjoyed electricity compensation with a total figure of IDR 4 trillion.