Indonesia's Energy Ministry Urges PLN to Speed Up Sumatra Power Restoration

Indonesia's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) has directed state electricity company PT PLN (Persero) to prioritize and accelerate the restoration of power supply across Sumatra. The directive aims to quickly normalize public activities and economic operations disrupted by a significant electricity system failure.

Wakil Menteri ESDM Yuliot stated on Saturday, May 23, 2026, that the ministry is working closely with the State Secretariat Ministry and PLN to manage the crisis. The blackout, which began on Friday, May 22, impacted a large part of Sumatra. "ESDM, as the regulator and supervisor of the electricity sub-sector, is giving serious attention to this blackout event," Yuliot said. "We understand the disruption has caused inconvenience to the public and affected economic and social activities in the affected areas."

An in-depth technical investigation is underway to pinpoint the root cause of the widespread outage. The findings will inform mitigation strategies designed to prevent similar incidents in the future. Tri Winarno, the Acting Director General of Electricity, confirmed that government officials are continuously evaluating and monitoring PLN's recovery process to ensure a reliable and secure power supply.

"In the initial phase after the widespread outage, we deployed electricity inspector teams to the field, and they will be reinforced by subsequent teams for more intensive investigation," Tri Winarno explained. He also conveyed directives from Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia for PLN to enhance the reliability of Sumatra's backbone system through new 500 kV/275 kV power plants and transmission lines. Additionally, PLN is tasked with strengthening provincial subsystems and preparing blackstart infrastructure for faster recovery during future disruptions.

PLN President Director Darmawan Prasodjo apologized for the inconvenience caused and assured the public that all personnel are working diligently to normalize the electricity system. Initial indications suggest the disturbance originated in the 275 kV transmission system between Muara Bungo and Sungai Rumbai in Jambi, possibly exacerbated by weather conditions. This initial fault triggered a domino effect across Sumatra's electrical grid, impacting numerous power plants.