PLN CEO: Personnel fully deployed to restore power after NTT earthquake
Depok, West Java - PT PLN (Persero) Chief Executive Officer Darmawan Prasodjo has fully deployed personnel to accelerate the restoration of the electricity network following the Flores earthquake in East Nusa Tenggara, so that services to the public can return to normal as soon as possible.
Darmawan expressed his concern and prayers for the communities affected by the disaster and travelled directly to Labuan Bajo, NTT, to ensure that all PLN staff are working at full capacity to support the electricity recovery process in the earthquake-affected areas.
“We are deploying our forces in the field all out so that these repairs can proceed smoothly,” Darmawan said during a virtual press conference on electricity preparedness for the 81st Anniversary of Indonesian Independence, held at PLN UIP2B Jamali in Depok, West Java, in the early hours of Sunday.
Darmawan did not specify the exact number of personnel deployed to handle electricity in the disaster-affected areas. However, he stressed that all PLN personnel have been dispatched to repair electricity networks disrupted by the earthquake, prioritising safety and speed of handling in the field.
Technical teams continue to repair electricity infrastructure, especially in areas affected by landslides where several electricity poles collapsed, requiring direct, gradual and comprehensive handling.
PLN is optimising field coordination so that all restoration work proceeds smoothly, enabling the public to regain electricity supply in the shortest possible time after the disaster.
The restoration of electricity supply is also helping telecommunications systems return to operation, as most transmitter stations have regained power from the PLN network.
Normalisation of electricity supply provides important support for public communications and emergency handling during the post-earthquake recovery process in various affected areas in NTT.
Darmawan assured that PLN will continue to monitor developments in the field until all affected networks and customers receive fully and sustainably restored electricity services.
He further said the electricity system was repaired quickly. Power plants that had gone offline were restarted one by one. Substations that had also lost power were successfully brought back online. Of the 11 substations that had been offline, all have now been successfully restored.
“Of 59 feeders, 58 feeders are now online, or 98.3 per cent, and as of just now when we landed here, 88 per cent of customers have also been successfully reconnected,” he said.
The remaining approximately 11 per cent are still undergoing accelerated repairs, especially in areas affected by landslides where electricity poles collapsed.
“We are currently repairing them one by one, so it is hoped that by tomorrow (Sunday 16/8) all customers can be reconnected,” he said.
“For that reason, we are here in Labuan Bajo to ensure that the restoration of the electricity system in the earthquake-affected areas can proceed smoothly,” the PLN CEO added.