Info minister appeals to TV stations to reduce broadcasting hours


Jakarta, (Antara News) - Minister of Communications and Information Muhammad Nuh appealed to television broadcasting companies to cut back on their power consumption in the current power crisis.

"I appeal (to the television broadcasting industry) to take the initiative (to reduce their broadcasting hours)," the minister said following a press conference on the shift of working days of manufacturing industries to Saturdays and Sundays to reduce the impact of the current power crisis, at his office in Jakarta on Friday.

Actually, the television broadcasting industry, he said, should be exempted from this ruling because TV stations operate 7 days a week.

However the minister still wished the television broadcasting companies to take the initiative to cut back on their use of electricity by reducing their broadcasting hours.

"According to experience, practically nobody is watching television in the small hours of 1 a.m to 4 a.m," he said.

On the same occasion, Java and Bali Director of state power company PT PLN Murtaqi Syamsudin aired the same hope to TV broadcasting companies.

At the press conference, Murtaqi said the reserve margin capacity ratio to peak demands for electricity had been declining due to an imbalance between increase in power production capacity and power consumption.

"Power consumption has been increasing by 6.7 percent per year, and peak demands for electricity by 4.8 percent per annum, while power plant capacity by only 3.5 percent per year," he said.

Murtaqi added that PLN`s power reserve margin had declined from 25 percent in 2007 to 21 percent in 2008 and predicted to drop to 14 percent in 2009 unless national power consumption is managed properly.

"Best practice of other countries shows that their reserve margin stands at 40 percent," he said.

A reserve margin is needed in anticipation of various undesired developments such as the adverse effects of a drop in capacity of a hydro-power plant (PLTA) due to a change in season, planned work, scheduled maintenance, and disrupted operations.

Murtaqi said PT PLN has been making various efforts to overcome the power crisis including acceleration of realisation of the 10,000 megawatts (MW) power plant project crash program, shifting manufacturing days of industries to Saturdays and Sundays by virtue of the Joint Decree of Five Ministers with a view to reducing power demands during normal working days by 600 megawatts.

He also said that during working days there is a 600 MW shortfall, and a power supply surplus of 1,000 MW on Saturdays, and 1,500 MW on Sundays, whereas the demands of industries reached 7,200 MW, so it is necessary to shift the manufacturing days of industries to Saturdays and Sundays to reduce the power supply deficit.

He said that the Joint Ministerial Decree will take effect as of July 31, 2008, following familiarization and coordination from July 21 through 29.

Before that from July 14 through 18, an inventory will be drawn up on industries to which the joint decree will apply, taking account of the capacity of each of these manufacturing industries, and the formation of clusters from July 14 to 18.(*)

Thank you very much.

if hardly anyone is watching television, this means that hardly any electricity is being consumed. doh.

si menteri kurang kerjaan sy kira.