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Vice Chairman V of the Indonesian Employers Association (APINDO) East Kalimantan, Muhammad Reza Fadhillah, said the biggest losses faced by businesses are not limited to additional spending on generators, but also include lost opportunities to maintain daily revenue flows.

Restaurants and cafés, for example, risk losing large numbers of customers when power outages occur during peak lunch or dinner hours.

“The issue is not only the additional expenses, but also the potential decline in revenue and disruption to cash flow,” Reza said, highlighting the risk of declining business liquidity.

Prolonged uncertainty over electricity supplies could undermine the investment climate in East Kalimantan, he said. Prospective investors would naturally reconsider their investment plans if basic infrastructure is unable to guarantee a stable electricity supply.

APINDO is therefore urging state-owned electricity company PLN to avoid sudden power outages without prior notification. Rotational outage schedules should ideally be communicated publicly and accurately at least one day before the outages take place.

“If necessary, [the notification should be given] a day in advance. With adequate information, businesses can adjust their production activities, secure raw materials, and minimize potential losses,” Reza said, offering a concrete recommendation.

APINDO is also calling on the local government and PLN to immediately meet with business associations to map out areas and business clusters that are particularly vulnerable to power disruptions.

Such collaboration is urgently needed to ensure that emergency measures are implemented alongside efforts to accelerate improvements to the power generation system.

“We understand that PLN is currently working on restoring the system, but the business community needs certainty about when electricity supplies will return to normal, as well as concrete measures to prevent similar disruptions from recurring,” he said.

Source: Kaltim Post