Governor Bobby Nasution Rebukes PLN North Sumatra, Demanding Compensation for Residents Affected by Blackouts

The Governor of North Sumatra, Muhammad Bobby Afif Nasution, has reprimanded PT PLN, demanding that the state-owned utility take responsibility for the impacts of recent rolling blackouts which have been deemed detrimental to the public. In addition to highlighting service disruptions, Bobby noted that PLN’s communication with customers regarding the outages has not been maximised.

Bobby Nasution made these remarks during a visit to the PLN North Sumatra Load Dispatch Unit (UP2MAS Sumbagut) office in Medan on Monday (8/6/2026). He was accompanied by several high-ranking officials, including the General Managers of PLN UID North Sumatra and PLN UIP3B Sumatra.

During the meeting, Bobby stated that residents across various regions have been complaining about the rolling blackouts occurring over the past few days. He noted that customers have not received clear information regarding the schedules or the specific areas affected, leaving them unable to make necessary preparations.

“The community is complaining, Sir; they are suffering losses due to these rolling blackouts, especially small entrepreneurs who rely on electricity. The problem is we do not know how the blackouts are progressing, and the public is not clearly informed, so there is no preparation, and this is happening every day,” said Bobby Nasution, accompanied by the Head of the North Sumatra Department of Industry, Trade, Energy, and Mineral Resources, Deddy JP Harahap, and the Head of the North Sumatra Communication and Informatics Department, Erwin Harahap.

Bobby acknowledged that the public can understand the emergency situation caused by damage to dozens of electricity transmission towers due to extreme weather. However, he emphasised that such conditions should be accompanied by transparent and coordinated information sharing with both the local government and the public.

“If there are obstacles like this, inform us (the government) so we can see how we can help. Or PLN could inform regional heads (regents/mayors) so they are aware and can assist in socialising the information to the community. Do not continue to make excuses,” Bobby asserted.

In light of these conditions, Bobby Nasution has requested that PLN provide compensation to all affected customers in North Sumatra. This compensation does not necessarily have to be in cash but could be implemented through electricity bill reductions or discounts on prepaid electricity tokens, provided it is feasible under existing regulations.