PLN Ensures All Main Electrical Substations in West Sumatra Are Operational

Padang, VIVA – PLN’s West Sumatra Distribution Unit (UID Sumbar) has confirmed that all main electrical substations in the province have been energised following a system disturbance that caused power outages since Friday night, 22 May 2026. ‘As of 05:00 WIB, 60 percent of the system has been restored, and we are continuing to strive for a full return to normal operation at 100 percent,’ said Ajrun Karim, General Manager of PLN UID Sumbar, when contacted in Padang on Saturday. Although 21 substations have come back online, 175 feeders are still out of service out of a total of 394. The feeders are spread across Kota Padang, Kabupaten Padang Pariaman, Kabupaten Tanah Datar, Kabupaten Pasaman, Kabupaten Pasaman Barat, Kabupaten Limapuluh Kota, Kota Payakumbuh, Kota Padang Panjang, Solok, Solok Selatan, Kabupaten Sijunjung and Kabupaten Dharmasraya. PLN has assured that the electricity system will be restored as quickly as possible to return to normal. It also emphasised that Sumbar is in a safe position, particularly for low- and medium-voltage networks. However, field personnel are still working to restore several feeders. ‘All main substations are energised; the remaining task is load-balancing at each feeder point,’ he said. Regarding the primary cause of the power outage in West Sumatra on Friday night, 22 May, around 18:44 WIB, the agency has not yet been able to provide further details. However, the preliminary suspicion is that the disturbance originated from Jambi Province. In addition to Sumbar, disturbances to the electricity system also occurred in Aceh, North Sumatra and Riau. Since the incident, PLN has dispatched technical teams to inspect the entire electricity system and network and to trace the cause of the disturbance. Finally, PLN urged the public to remain calm and not to panic. Updates on the handling of the disruption will be provided periodically via the PLN Mobile app and the PLN 123 contact centre service. Meanwhile, Asna, a resident of Bukittinggi, said the power came back on between 01:00 and 03:00 WIB. She hopes the situation will return to full normal. ‘At 01:00 in the early hours I checked and the power was not on, but by 03:00 WIB it was on,’ she said. (Antara).