PONTIANAK, Thekabarnews.com—Pontianak has witnessed a spate of public protests over the recurring rolling blackouts. Mayor Edi Rusdi Kamtono urged PT PLN to speed up the restoration of energy.

Under mounting public pressure, Edi telephoned the state-owned electrical utility. He asked for a technical explanation for the blackouts and implored the company to restore electricity as soon as possible.

“We have been receiving complaints from residents about how disruptive the regular power interruptions have been to their lives,” said the mayor.

Power outage disrupts family activities, the functioning of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and public services in Pontianak, he said.

“As mayor, I have heard concerns from several individuals about these rolling blackouts. I have a moral responsibility to deliver the community’s concerns and to ask PLN to take immediate action. The goal is to accelerate the restoration of electricity in the field,” Edi stated in an official statement on Friday, July 3.

“The Pontianak City Administration considers it their job to speak up for the residents by sending their issues directly to the management of PLN,” stated Edi.

The local authorities will undertake the recovery procedure to restore the usual electricity services at the earliest, he said.

PLN said in a statement after the coordination meeting that the rolling blackouts occurred. After the coordination meeting, PLN stated that unforeseen technical problems with some large power-producing facilities caused the rolling blackouts.

The situation was compounded by the sharp drop in the supply of power to the Kalimantan interlinked power system. As a result, the rolling blackouts limited the amount of power that could be distributed around.

The power company claimed the rolling blackouts were precautionary steps to keep the broader regional power grid stable. They wanted to prevent the possibility of a severe system failure that could have resulted in a widespread blackout.

PLN said the rotating outages had allowed operators to balance demand for power with the limited generation capacity available. In addition, repair work on the affected generating units was continuing.

This is the first official explanation of the technical reasons for the recent outages. These outages have drawn considerable criticism from residents and company owners who depend on a reliable supply of energy for their daily activities and business operations.

The intermittent power disruptions have hurt the functioning of businesses, especially MSMEs. Meanwhile, citizens have expressed concerns about the disruption to their daily lives and the reliability of key public services.

The Pontianak City administration said it will continue to communicate with the PLN to monitor the status of the repairs. This will help ensure that the recovery process is carried out as swiftly as feasible.

Edi said the firm has to be more upfront. It should provide regular information on the restoration work and a schedule for when the energy system will be back to normal.

Recent failures have demonstrated the importance of resilient electrical infrastructure, especially with rising demand in Kalimantan.

Local officials expect further repairs will stabilize the electrical grid. Consequently, consumers and businesses will witness fewer disruptions in the following days.