North Sumatra Residents to Receive Additional Power Supply Soon: Here’s the Source
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Residents of North Sumatra are expected to receive additional electricity supplies soon, as the 510-megawatt Batang Toru Hydropower Plant in South Tapanuli prepares to begin operations.
The milestone was marked by the start of water filling at the plant’s reservoir on Friday (9 October 2026).
Deputy Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Yuliot, who coordinated the reservoir filling and oversaw the process, is targeting the plant to be operational in time for the surge in electricity demand during the 2026–27 Christmas and New Year period.
The Batang Toru plant is considered urgently needed. Yuliot said electricity demand usually rises during Christmas and New Year, while operational reserves in Sumatra’s power system remain low.
“Operational reserves are only 4%. Ideally, they should be around 15% to 20%,” he said, according to an official statement from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in Jakarta on Monday (12 October 2026).
According to PLN data, the northern Sumatra system is currently supported by supplies from southern Sumatra through the transmission network. With demand in North Sumatra growing by around 100–120 MW a year, the additional 510 MW from Batang Toru could meet the province’s needs for the next four to five years.
Yuliot explained that filling the reservoir is a prerequisite for testing all the plant’s facilities, from the powerhouse and the target water level to the delivery of electricity to the transmission network.
“Without filling the reservoir, we cannot test all the facilities here,” Yuliot said.
The reservoir-filling process was accelerated in the fourth quarter of 2026, alongside two weeks of testing for all instruments. The plant will then be tested for connection to the PLN grid before it officially begins operations.
“The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources only needs to ensure that it operates properly. Once it is running well, we will issue an operational fitness certificate,” Yuliot said.
The reservoir could be filled after all administrative matters had been resolved, including obligations to the Ministry of Environment/Environmental Control Agency and the Ministry of Forestry. The resolution was overseen jointly by the Ministry of Investment and Downstreaming/BKPM, the Ministry of Environment/Environmental Control Agency, the Ministry of Forestry and the Attorney General’s Office, as part of cross-agency support for energy security under the President’s Asta Cita programme.
The Batang Toru plant is also considered dependable because of its stable water supply. Its upstream river is connected to Lake Toba, meaning its water resources are considered more than adequate compared with those of other hydropower plants, even during El Niño conditions.
The Rp21.6 trillion national strategic project comprises four generating units, each with a capacity of 127.5 MW. Its developer, PT North Sumatera Hydro Energy (NSHE), has prepared a study for a 160 MW second phase. Yuliot said most project workers are local and that domestic equipment is being used wherever possible.
With reservoir filling under way, the Batang Toru plant is one step closer to becoming a new pillar of North Sumatra’s electricity supply, strengthening the reliability of the system and supporting national energy independence.