Indonesia swops out electricity chief after 16-hour Batam blackout

BATAM – Indonesia removed the chief executive officer of state-owned electricity giant Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) after a 16-hour blackout in the data centre and tourism hub of Batam.Darmawan Prasodjo, who had been CEO since December 2021 at PLN, will be replaced by Suroso Isnandar, according to an exchange filing on Oct 14.Suroso retains his role as director of project management and new and renewable energy.The leadership change is part of a push to improve PLN’s services following the blackout, controlling shareholder and sovereign wealth fund Danantara said in a statement.PLN’s subsidiary on the island of Batam near Singapore will be moved directly under Danantara to better support its growth, the fund added.The outage in Batam, home to about 1.3 million people, began early on Oct 12 and affected more than 411,000 customers, disrupting water supplies and telecommunications.Most services had been restored by Oct 13, although PLN Batam was still imposing rolling blackouts on Oct 14 as power demand outstripped capacity.Batam is a fast-growing, export-oriented manufacturing hub and free trade zone with several large data centre projects. It is also a popular weekend getaway for Singaporeans.Suroso has worked for more than 30 years at PLN, serving variously as general manager and vice-president of system planning, according to his LinkedIn profile.He holds electrical engineering degrees from the Bandung Institute of Technology and a Master’s in power system engineering and management from Scotland’s Abertay University. BLOOMBERG