REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Consumers deserve a reasonable electricity tariff as regulated under Law No. 30 of 2009, Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) Chairman Tulus Abadi stated. Based on the consumers' point of view, a fair electricity price refers to the two aspects of the ability to pay and the willingness to pay, the YLKI chairman noted on Thursday.
Although consumers have their own viewpoint regarding the fair price of electricity, the consideration of a reasonable price should also be based on the interest of electricity providers, he stated. According to Abadi, a reasonable price that is in accordance with the basic cost of providers could still maintain business sustainability of the provider company or the state-owned power utility firm PLN.
"Discourse on the reformulation of electricity tariff by including the price of coal as one of the reference elements is basically very risky if it still refers to the international price," Abadi pointed out.
Also read: Non-subsidized electricity tariff can be raised: Minister
According to Abadi, including the price of coal as an element in deciding the electricity tariff can still be understood if the government can control prices at the national level and not be based on international reference prices.
"Including the reference price of coal is very risky for both consumers and PLN as electricity providers, especially if the government is not able to control the domestic coal price," he explained.
Hence, the YLKI has urged the government to intervene in the coal prices in the interests of the electricity sector and the nation.
The government should be able to set the upper and lower limits for the sales price of domestic coal, so that there is a clear benchmark.
"It is impossible that on the downstream side the electricity tariff is highly regulated, while on the upstream side, it is very dynamic and liberal," he stated.
The YLKI chairman suggested that the Indonesian government could take a cue from its South African counterpart that provides special prices for domestic sales and follows international prices for overseas sales.
Ikuti Whatsapp Channel Republika
