PLN Chief Apologises for Power Outages Across Sumatra

The President Director of PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (Persero), or PLN, Darmawan Prasodjo, has expressed his apologies after electricity outages hit the majority of the Sumatra region on Friday, 22 May 2026. The power supply to residential homes and various facilities was interrupted due to bad weather, which caused disruptions to substations and the transmission system, particularly in southern, central, and northern Sumatra.

“We once again are putting forth our best efforts, deploying all the resources we have, and remain on alert so that the electricity system can recover immediately,” Darmawan stated during a press conference on Saturday, 23 May 2026.

According to Darmawan, the affected provinces included Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Riau, and Jambi. The disruption was recorded at 18:44 WIB and was immediately reported to the Directorate General of Electricity of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, acting as the regulator.

Initial indications of the disruption were found on the 275 kV (kilovolt) transmission line between Muara Bungo and Sungai Rumbai in Jambi. The disturbance caused a shock to existing power plants, leading to some areas losing load and resulting in an oversupply.

Darmawan explained that the frequency of the electricity system and the voltage in two areas increased, causing power plants to shut down automatically. However, some areas experienced a deficit because the available power generation decreased, causing frequency and voltage to drop, which subsequently placed a burden on the remaining plants and led to further shutdowns.

“This condition created a domino effect, resulting in electricity system disruptions spanning from Jambi, Riau, and North Sumatra up to Aceh,” he said.

Following the blackout, PLN deployed personnel to inspect damage to substations and the transmission system. Within two hours, the substations and transmission lines were successfully restored.

Darmawan noted that this situation differed from the disasters in Sumatra at the end of last year, which involved physical damage such as transmission towers collapsing due to landslides. “Today, we are announcing that our substations and transmission systems have recovered,” he concluded.