Daily Power Cuts Are Closing Stalls in Banjarbaru
For small business owners in Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan, the working day has become hostage to the electricity grid. Rolling blackouts lasting roughly four hours have recurred almost every day for close to two weeks, forcing vendors to shut up shop each time the power fails and reopen only once it returns. The disruption is not a brief inconvenience; it is reshaping how these businesses can operate at all.
The Jakarta Post, citing reporting first published by Kompas.com, spoke to two Banjarbaru traders who illustrate the breadth of the problem. Lilis, who runs a beverage stall, depends on an electric cup-sealing machine to package her drinks. Without it, she cannot serve customers. "When the electricity goes out, we have to close," she said. "If we keep having to shut down like this, our sales will definitely decline." Her situation is straightforward: no power means no product.
Frozen Food Sellers Face a More Serious Threat
For Pasha, who operates a frozen food store in the same city, the stakes are higher than lost revenue for a few hours. Repeated power cuts shut down the freezers that preserve his stock, putting product quality directly at risk. He is also worried about a secondary problem: the voltage instability that occurs each time electricity is cut or restored can damage the compressors inside refrigeration units. Replacing or repairing compressors adds a significant and unpredictable cost on top of already reduced sales.
The blackouts in Kalimantan are part of a broader pattern. The Jakarta Post notes that widespread power disruptions have affected multiple regions across Indonesia in recent months, including parts of Sumatra and Java, raising wider questions about the reliability of the national grid operated by state utility PLN.
Why It Matters for Hosts
Independent accommodation and food-and-beverage operators in Banjarbaru and the surrounding areas of South Kalimantan should treat the current situation as a prompt to audit their backup power arrangements. Guests staying in a property that loses electricity for four hours a day will not distinguish between a grid problem and a host's failure to prepare. A small generator or an uninterruptible power supply for critical systems, such as lighting, Wi-Fi routers, and any refrigeration, can protect both guest experience and perishable inventory. Hosts who rely on refrigerated or frozen products for guest meals face the same compressor-damage risk that Pasha described; surge protection on refrigeration units is a low-cost safeguard worth considering now. Communicating proactively with incoming guests about the situation, and explaining the steps taken to manage it, also builds trust rather than eroding it.
For operators who take reservations through online platforms, it is worth ensuring that any automated messaging or booking confirmations can still be managed from a mobile connection if the local power supply is unreliable.
The details in this post were first reported by The Jakarta Post, drawing on reporting by Kompas.com, and published on 9 July 2026. This post was produced by the Qontaktly travel blog for independent hospitality operators and travelers in Indonesia and Poland.
First reported by Jakarta Travel.