PUSKEPI praises PLN for transparent updates on Sumatra's electricity restoration

Director of the Public Policy Research Centre (PUSKEPI), Sofyano Zakaria, praised PLN for its proactive and responsive communication regarding the restoration of electricity in Sumatra, which had previously been affected.

“In such situations, it is crucial for the public to receive comprehensive information about the cause of the outage and the ongoing restoration process. I find PLN quite transparent in updating on the handling progress until power supply gradually returns to normal,” he stated in Jakarta on Monday.

He noted that during large-scale power disruptions, the public not only needs swift restoration but also clear information on the cause and the steps to normalise the network.

PLN previously explained that the outage occurred on a 275 kV transmission line in Muara Bungo, Jambi, affecting Sumatra’s interconnected power grid.

Sofyano explained that in large-scale power systems, safety mechanisms automatically activate when a main line fails to prevent wider network damage. Therefore, the restoration process must be carried out gradually to maintain network stability and overall system safety.

“In a system as large as Sumatra’s, restoration must be done carefully to ensure the network stabilises before full power supply is restored,” he said.

Besides technical factors, he added that weather conditions and natural disruptions also pose challenges in managing national transmission and distribution networks.

He stressed the importance of regular updates to keep the public informed about on-ground conditions and ongoing mitigation efforts.

“The priority now is to ensure power supply returns to normal so the public can resume activities smoothly,” he added.

PT PLN (Persero) confirmed that Sumatra’s power system, which experienced a total blackout on Friday (22/5), has now been restored.

“Alhamdulillah, thanks to the relentless efforts of all field personnel and support from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and local authorities, Sumatra’s power system has returned to normal,” said PLN President Director Darmawan Prasodjo in a statement confirmed from Jakarta on Sunday (24/6).

PLN completed the restoration of Sumatra’s power system following widespread transmission interconnection disruptions. By Sunday 6:00 WIB, 176 affected substations had been normalised, with power supply to customers restored in phases.