How PLN's Rolling Blackout Affects Small Businesses in Bandung

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The impact of rolling blackouts in Greater Bandung is felt by its small business owners. For example, Ihsan Faturrohman, a 35-year-old owner of a photocopy business in Majalaya, Bandung Regency, said his business turnover was halved during the blackout.

Ihsan explained that his photocopy and office supply business relies heavily on electricity; when the power goes out, so do his photocopiers and printers. "I usually earn up to Rp1 million a day, but during the power outages, i only earned half of that," he told Tempo on Friday, June 19, 2026.

"At most, I can rely on selling office supplies, but it's not as profitable. The substantial profit comes from photocopy or printing services," he said.

Ihsan admitted that he has experienced two power outages by the state electricity company PLN, each lasting about five hours. "Two days ago, the power went out from 10:00 a.m. and only came back on after Asr prayers (around 3:00 p.m.)," he said.

Another small business owner, Ade Mamad, a 49-year-old coffee and orage juice seller in Cileunyi, Bandung Regency, also faced a similar situation. Ade said his business is quite dependent on electricity since several of his equipment are electric-powered.

"I was affected by the power outages. I sell orange juice that requires a sealer, and coffee that needs a grinder," said Ade.

Ade mentioned that he had to buy plastic covers since he couldn't use a machine to seal the packaging of his products, which added to his expenses.

"There were even times when the customers backed out on purchasing since it took too long to make the coffee, as I had to grind the beans manually," he said.

Nurmalitasari, the Communication Manager of PLN's Main Distribution Unit (UID) in West Java, said the rotating blackout is the company's temporary measure to address technical challenges in power generation.

According to her, two large power-generating units experienced disturbances, causing them to temporarily cease operation and reduce electricity supply capacity.

"PLN apologizes for the inconvenience experienced by the customers. This electricity load management measure is temporary and will be gradually discontinued as the supply system improves," said Nurmalitasari in a written statement on Friday.

Read: What Caused PLN's Rolling Power Outages Across Java

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