BATAM: Indonesia removed the CEO of state-owned electricity giant Perusahaan Listrik Negara after a 16-hour blackout in the data center and tourism hub of Batam.
Darmawan Prasodjo, who had been chief executive officer since December 2021 at PLN, as the company is better known, will be replaced by Suroso Isnandar, according to an exchange filing Wednesday. 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 Monday and affected more than 411,000 customers, disrupting water supplies and telecommunications. Most services had been restored by Tuesday, although PLN Batam was still imposing rolling blackouts Wednesday as power demand outstripped capacity.
Batam is a fast-growing, export-oriented manufacturing hub and free-trade zone with several large data center projects. It’s 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
