To PT PLN, Nur Pamudji said, increasing the TDL was the best solution because the company had been carrying a heavy financial burden as a consequence of the low TDL in force so far.Jakarta (ANTARA News) - State Electricity Company (PT PLN) leaves the decision to increase the basic electricity tariff (TDL) for consumers in 2012 entirely to the government, a company executive said.
Any question on whether the TDL will be raised or by how much should be addressed to the government, PT PLN President Director Nur Pamudji said here on Thursday.
He said PT PLN would abide by whatever the government decides as long as the government provides the budget to carry out its decision.
To PT PLN, he said, increasing the TDL was the best solution because the company had been carrying a heavy financial burden as a consequence of the low TDL in force so far.
An increase in the TDL would also reduce the government`s subsidy burden which for 2011 would reach Rp45 trillion.
PT PLN`s average selling price of electricity was now Rp640 per kWh (Kilo Watt per Hour) whereas the cost of basic electricity supply was Rp1,011 per kWh.
The basic electricity rate in Indonesia was the lowest in the ASEAN region as the tariffs for all categories of consumers, from households, businesses, industries to social institutions were subsidized, Nur said.
Meanwhile, Jarman, the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry`s director general of electricity, said the government was now studying various electricity tariff increase options before proposing a certain scheme to the House of Representatives.
In the study the government was being assisted by a consortium of several universities , including the University of Gadjah Mada (UGM) and the University of Indonesia (UI).
"The study is now still in progress and hopefully it will be completed in December," Jarman said.
Earlier, the government had announced it was planning to raise the TDL for certain categories of consumers by 10-15 percent in April 2012.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
