ESDM Urges PLN to Maximise Power Restoration in Sumatra
The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) has requested PT PLN (Persero) to maximise efforts in restoring power supply as swiftly as possible to enable affected communities to resume normal activities. Deputy ESDM Minister Yuliot stated in Jakarta on Saturday (23 May 2026) that the ministry is coordinating closely with the State Secretariat and PT PLN to address the power system disturbance that occurred in parts of Sumatra on Friday (22 May 2026). “ESDM, as the regulator and overseer of the electricity subsector, is taking this blackout seriously. We understand the disruption has caused inconvenience to the public and impacted economic and social activities in affected areas,” Yuliot said. He added that a thorough technical investigation will be conducted to identify the root cause and implement mitigation measures to prevent recurrence.
Acting Director General of Electricity Tri Winarno said the government continues to evaluate and monitor the restoration process to ensure reliable and safe power supply for the public. “During the initial phase of the widespread outage, we deployed electricity inspection teams to the field and will strengthen them for more intensive investigations to prevent recurrence,” he said. Tri added that, beyond restoration, ESDM Minister Bahlil Lahadalia has directed PLN to enhance Sumatra’s backbone system reliability through constructing 500 kV/275 kV power plants and transmission lines, as well as strengthening sub-system reliability in each province. PLN must also prepare blackstart infrastructure to accelerate recovery during outages. “The ESDM Minister has instructed us to ensure the swift construction of power plants in western Sumatra to proceed smoothly,” Tri said.
PLN President Director Darmawan Prasodjo apologised to the public for the disruption and assured all staff are working maximally to expedite the restoration of the power system in affected areas. “Since the incident occurred, all our staff immediately assessed, restored transmission systems and substations, and gradually and coordinately restarted power plants,” Darmawan said. He explained the initial indication of the disruption originated from the 275 kV transmission system between Muara Bungo and Sungai Rumbai in Jambi, suspected to be weather-related. The disruption triggered a domino effect on Sumatra’s power system, affecting power plants across various regions. As of Saturday (23 May 2026) at 7pm WIB, restoration progress has shown significant improvements. Of the 13.1 million affected customers, over 8.5 million have had power restored. The system load restored reached 3,431.21 MW out of the previously affected 5,334 MW. Additionally, all 176 affected substations have resumed operations.