PLN may face punishment over blackouts

Executives at state power firm PT PLN, under fire for implementing rotating blackouts across Greater Jakarta, risk demotion if they fail to address the problem in less than a month, warns a minister.

The threat was made Thursday by State Minister for State Enterprises Mustafa Abubakar in response to blackouts in many parts of the city carried out by PLN amid a power shortage triggered in part by damaged substations.

"I will take disciplinary action against those who fail to meet the electricity crisis improvement deadline," he said during a visit to the fire-gutted Cawang Baru electricity substation in Cililitan, East Jakarta.

"However, I will reward - including a bonus in the form of promotion - those who meet the target.

"The bait is their positions. I demand no more power outages in West Jakarta by Dec. 1."

Mustafa said the disciplinary actions would vary, with the harshest being demotion.

Supply of electricity to the greater Jakarta area has since Sept. 29 been disrupted after fires broke out at the Cawang Baru and Kembangan, West Jakarta, substations.

This eventually led to PLN forcing scheduled, rotating blackouts that are expected to continue until the end of the year.

In addition, Mustafa also set a target of reducing the level of electricity leaks from the current 8.6 percent to 8 percent by year-end.

The Cawang Baru electricity substation exploded on Sept. 29 after fire razed two output transformers. Police are still investigating the cause of the fire.

PLN has tried to make up for the power shortage by purchasing 100 megawatts of electricity from PT Cikarang Listrikindo and redirecting power from the Tanjung Priok and Muara Karang substations in North Jakarta.

PLN Greater Jakarta general manager Purnomo Willy said he would try his best to resolve the problem and meet the target set by Mustafa.

"We'll try to guarantee there will be no more power outages in West Jakarta by the start of December, in line with the restoration of the Kembangan electricity substation," he said.

Purnomo added other efforts PLN was undertaking were the planned installation by Nov. 22 of 200 electricity load controllers at luxury homes with power connections of more than 30 kilovolt-amperes.

"We expect *the load controllers* will save to 2 to 3 megawatts of power," he said, adding that for the first step, the controllers would be installed in the upmarket neighborhoods of Pondok Indah and Menteng.

The installations would be carried out at PLN's cost, he confirmed.

The controllers will cap the electricity consumption at those houses, Purnomo said.

The electricity will be automatically shut off if the consumption reaches a certain level.

Besides luxury homes, PLN will also limit power consumption at malls and shopping centers

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Survives from Bear Attack

A member of the Anak Dalam indigenous tribe in Jambi is receiving medical treatment at Muara Bulian Hospital in Batanghari regency after being mauled by a bear Wednesday.

Solai, 30, lost an eye and suffered from bites and scratches all over his body following the attack in the forest where he was setting up a wild boar trap.

“He fought off the bear, as you can see from the injuries he sustained,” Ida, a relative, said Friday.

Solai managed to escape from the forest despite his wounds and seek help from his neighbor Winanto, who, along with other residents, rushed Solai to a community health center. Solai was transferred to the hospital due to the severity of his injuries.

Hospital official Rozi said Solai was recovering and in a stable condition. “His medical costs will be covered by the social services agency,” Rozi said.

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Is this for sale???

Is it really an antique?

Thu, 11/12/2009 7:53 PM | National

A foreign tourist takes a closer look at an old Spiker car, which was made in 1895, during the Bali International Classic Cars Show in Bali on Thursday.

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Bomb hits Pakistan's spy agency in northwest

The Associated Press , Peshawar, Pakistan | Fri, 11/13/2009 9:36 AM | World

Terror Attack: A view of destruction after a suicide bombing in Peshawar, Pakistan on Friday. A suicide car bomb devastated Pakistan's main spy agency building in the northwest Friday, killing at least 7 people and striking at the heart of the institution overseeing much of the country's anti-terror campaign. AP/Mohammad Sajjad

A powerful bomb targeted the offices of Pakistan's main spy agency in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Friday, tearing down much of the building and causing several casualties, witnesses said.

The blast struck at the heart of the agency overseeing much of the anti-terror campaign in the border regions with Afghanistan, where al-Qaida and Taliban leaders are believed to be hiding out.

It was the latest in a string of attacks on security forces, civilian and Western targets since the government launched an offensive in mid-October against the Taliban's main stronghold in the border region of South Waziristan.

An Associated Press reporter on the scene within minutes of the explosion saw at least eight dead or badly wounded bodies being taken away. The blast destroyed much of the three-story building belonging to the Inter-Services Intelligence agency and many cars on the street outside.

The reporter said it was the loudest explosion in recent years in the city, which is a militant hub and has seen at least four major attacks in the last month.

The government has said the militant attacks will not dent the country's resolve to pursue the offensive in South Waziristan, where officials say the most deadly insurgent network in Pakistan is based.