Bali's Electricity Reserve Limited, Risk of Rotating Supply
State electricity company PT PLN (Persero) has said that Bali’s electricity system could potentially face a rotating supply scheme if no additional energy supply is secured by 2027. The situation arises because Bali’s current electricity reserve is considered thin, in line with surging electricity consumption.
General Manager of PLN UID Bali, Ajrun Karim, said the public has long assumed that the electricity condition on the Island of the Gods is still in surplus. In fact, he said, Bali’s electricity reserve is very limited.
“People think Bali already has an energy surplus, when in fact, in quotation marks, it does not. If by 2027 Bali has no additional energy supply, then there is a possibility that Bali will experience rotating supply,” Arjun said in Denpasar on Thursday (20/8/2026).
Arjun explained that peak electricity load in Bali has reached around 1,295–1,300 megawatts (MW). Meanwhile, the total installed capacity from all power plants in Bali is around 1,477 MW.
According to him, the electricity capacity comes from various power plants in Bali, ranging from gas-fired power plants (PLTG), gas and steam power plants (PLTGU), coal-fired power plants (PLTU), to solar power plants (PLTS).
“Bali’s current peak load of 1,300 is borne by the installed system capacity from a mix of energy sources — there is PLTG, PLTGU, the Celukan Bawang PLTU, and the Medco PLTS. That is only 1,477 MW, with the caveat that no machines are broken,” he added.
On the other hand, Unit 5 of the Pesanggaran diesel power plant (PLTD) with a capacity of 100 MW is currently undergoing maintenance or overhaul. This condition has caused the Bali electricity system to lose around 100 MW of supply.
“If 100 MW is lost, then inevitably the PLTD, which people say is noisy and produces emissions, must be operated. If it is not operated, then we will get what is called rotating supply, not rotating blackouts. The supply rotates,” Arjun added.
Besides relying on power plants in Bali, the island’s electricity system also still depends on supply from Java through four submarine cable circuits. The four cable circuits have a maximum capacity of around 100 MW per circuit, and the power transmitted is not always optimal.
“Currently, Bali still receives supply from Java through four cable circuits. If operated at maximum, each can carry 100 MW. But they are not operated at maximum; they are operated at 60 to 80. So, currently Bali is receiving supply from Java of around 270 MW,” Arjun said.
To anticipate the threat of electricity supply shortages, PLN together with the government is pushing for the development of new and renewable energy infrastructure. One of the plans being prepared is the construction of solar power plants (PLTS).
Based on the 2025–2034 Electricity Supply Business Plan (RUPTL), PLN is targeting an additional PLTS capacity of around 1,450 megawatts (MW). This project is targeted for completion by 2029.
Arjun explained that around 600 MW of the additional PLTS capacity is targeted to enter the Bali electricity system by 2027. Currently, only one PLTS is operating in the PLN UID Bali area, namely the approximately 25 MW Medco plant located in Kubu, Karangasem.
On the other hand, PLTS development also requires quite extensive land. Arjun estimated that every 1 MW of PLTS capacity requires around 1 hectare of land. To overcome this constraint, PLN will prioritise land that has been unproductive or not optimally utilised.
“Our first priority for land will be unproductive land, barren land, forestry land, or community-owned land that has not been maximised in its use,” he concluded.