DESPITE paying the astronomical amount of Rp 8.5 billion every year in electricity dues to the State Electricity Company (PLN), PT Perkebunan Nusantara IV has not been immune to regular power blackouts. Such outages are not only annoying, they also have a serious impact on its palm oil production. “The power shutdowns affect the machines,” said Effendi Lubis, chief of the company’s planning division in North Sumatra.

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