KBRN, Natuna: Residents of Seluan Subdistrict in Natuna Regency, Riau Islands Province (Kepri), now officially enjoy round-the-clock electricity following an inauguration ceremony of a new Diesel Power Plant (PLTD) conducted via teleconference by Vice Governor of Riau Islands, Nyanyang Haris Pratamura.

Rafki Chandra, Manager of the PLN Natuna Customer Service Unit (ULP) on Tuesday May 27 said that previously, PLN’s power system in Seluan could only supply electricity for several hours a day. However, a new Diesel Power Plant (PLTD) unit has been added, so electricity can now be supplied continuously for 24 hours.

“In addition to Seluan, two other subsystems have also seen improvements, Pemping Subdistrict in Batam and Sugi Subdistrict in Karimun. The main inauguration was centered in Pemping,” he explained.

Furthermore, residents of Pulau Panjang District, another supporting island in Natuna, will soon enjoy 24-hour electricity. The installation of an additional PLTD unit in that area will also make this possible.

“At present, installation is still underway in Pulau Panjang as several machine components are still incomplete,” Rafki added as quoted by antaranews.com.

He noted that with the addition of the generator unit in Seluan, the electricity supply in the area now has a surplus of 90 kilowatts (kW), with one machine operating and another on standby. A similar setup is expected in Pulau Panjang, although the exact surplus capacity there is not yet known.

According to Rafki, the generator addition is part of the government and PLN’s initiative to expand electricity access to Indonesia’s outermost and frontier regions like Natuna.

This strategic move aims to promote social equity, improve community welfare, and boost evenly distributed economic growth. “We hope that this upgrade to 24-hour electricity service will drive local economic development,” he concluded. ***