President Joko Widodo is worried that the islands of Java and Bali will experience an electrical power shortage by 2019 if an additional need for 21,000 megawatts in electrical power remains unaddressed. President Widodo said at the groundbreaking for a new power plant in Banten “If we look at the needs for Java and Bali there is still a need for 21,000 megawatts, a major requirement that must be met. If we do not accelerate the process of meeting this need by 2019, there will be a critical shortfall of electrical power in Java and Bali in 2019". The President warned that a failure to meet the power needs will necessitate a regular series of planned black outs in Java and Bali. What’s more, President Widodo said power shortage would have lead-on effects reducing investments, industrial development and the building of new factories. The President also emphasized that providing electrical power to members of the public still living off the power grid remains a main priority of the government.
