Summary：**Kalimantan’s Small Businesses Gasping Under Never‑Ending Rolling Blackouts***Introduction* Across

**Kalimantan’s Small Businesses Gasping Under Never‑Ending Rolling Blackouts**

*Introduction*
Across Kalimantan, shop owners, workshop operators and street vendors are counting the cost of a power supply that flickers on and off like a faulty light bulb. Since early September, the state‑run electricity provider has instituted rolling blackouts that last anywhere from two to six hours each day, leaving many small enterprises scrambling to keep lights on, machines running and customers satisfied. The outages are not isolated incidents; they have become a predictable rhythm that disrupts daily commerce and threatens the livelihoods of thousands of micro‑ and small‑sized businesses (SMEs) in the region.

*Key Developments*
The latest round of load‑shedding began after a sudden drop in water levels at the Mahakam River hydroelectric complex, which supplies roughly 40 % of Kalimantan’s grid. Officials from PT PLN (Persero) cited insufficient reservoir capacity and aging transmission lines as the primary triggers. In response, the utility announced a temporary schedule that rotates blackouts across six districts, including Balikpapan, Samarinda and Pontianak.

Local chambers of commerce reported a 22 % decline in daily sales for retailers during blackout periods, while manufacturers noted a 15 % rise in production delays due to halted machinery. Several informal food stalls have turned to diesel generators, pushing fuel costs up by as much as 30 % and eroding thin profit margins. Social media posts from business owners show pictures of darkened storefronts and handwritten signs apologizing for “temporary closure due to power outage.”

*Industry Analysis*
Economists at the Institute for Development Studies (IDS) in Jakarta argue that the recurring outages expose a structural weakness in Kalimantan’s energy infrastructure. The region’s reliance on a handful of hydroelectric plants makes it vulnerable to seasonal rainfall variations, and the grid lacks sufficient redundancy to