No Power Tariff Hikes In May: PLN

Jakarta (Antara Bali) -- State electricity company Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) has given its assurance that it will not raise electrical power tariffs in May.

 "There will be no power tariff hikes in May. The tariffs of subsidized electrical power for customers with a capacity of 900 volt-amperes, 1,300 volt-amperes, and 2,200 volt-amperes will not be raised either," President Director of PLN Sofyan Basir said while receiving President Joko Widodo at the PLN building here on Tuesday.

The tariffs of electrical power for household customers with a capacity of 3,500 volt-amperes to 5,500 volt-amperes and large household customers with a capacity of 6,600 volt-amperes and above will follow the tariff indicators in the market, which could affect the cost of power supply, he pointed out.

In addition, Basir expressed regret over media reports that claimed there would be power tariff hikes in May, as they could prompt businessmen to increase the prices of goods.

"If businessmen raise the prices of goods based on the media reports on the tariff hikes, despite no hikes being implemented, it will be the people who will suffer. We do not want to burden them with power tariff hikes," he explained.

PLN has raised the tariffs of non-subsidized electrical power for April, after it lowered them in March for the seventh month in a row since September last year.

The tariffs of non-subsidized electrical power for five groups of customers are set at Rp1,455.89 per kilowatt-hour, the company said on its official website on Thursday, April 2. The tariffs were increased by Rp39.31 per kilowatt-hour, or 2.75 percent from the Rp1,426.58 per kilowatt-hour rate in March.

 According to data from the state power utility company, the tariffs of subsidized electrical power for customers R1 with a capacity of 1,300 volt-amperes and customers R1 with a capacity of 2,200 volt-amperes remain unchanged at Rp1,352 per kilowatt-hour.

PLN had initially planned to raise the tariffs for these two groups of customers in April but put the plan on hold.

The five groups of non-subsidized customers who are subjected to a tariff hike of Rp1,465.89 per kilowatt-hour in April are middle-class households R2 with a capacity of 3,500 to 5,500 volt-amperes, large households R3 with a capacity of 6,600 volt-amperes and above, medium businesses B2 with a capacity of 6,600 to 200,000 volt-amperes, government agencies P1 with a capacity of 6,600 to 200,000 volt-amperes, and public street lighting P3. (WDY)