The President Director of PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (Persero), or PLN, Darmawan Prasodjo, has issued an apology following a widespread electricity outage that affected the majority of Sumatra Island on Friday, May 22, 2026. The power supply to residential homes and various facilities was disrupted due to severe bad weather, which caused significant issues within the substation and transmission systems, particularly across South, Central, and North Sumatra.
Addressing the public in a press conference on Saturday, May 23, 2026, Darmawan affirmed PLN‘s unwavering commitment. “We are once again exerting our utmost effort, deploying all resources at our disposal, and we remain vigilant to ensure the electricity system is restored as quickly as possible,” he stated, emphasizing the utility’s dedication to prompt power recovery.
Darmawan detailed the extensive impact, noting that provinces affected included Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Riau, and Jambi. The initial power disruption was recorded at 6:44 PM Western Indonesian Time (WIB) and was immediately reported to the Directorate General of Electricity within the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, which serves as the industry’s primary regulator.
Initial investigations pinpointed the cause of the disturbance to a 275 kV transmission line section situated between Muara Bungo and Sungai Rumbai in Jambi. This critical fault created a significant shock to the existing power plants, leading to a loss of load in some areas and, paradoxically, an oversupply in others, complicating the system’s stability.
Explaining the technical complexities, Darmawan elaborated that in certain regions, the electrical system’s frequency and voltage experienced a sudden surge, causing power plants to trip automatically. Conversely, other areas faced a critical deficit as generating capacity diminished, leading to a drop in frequency and voltage. This imbalance placed immense strain on remaining generators, triggering further automatic shutdowns and exacerbating the power outage.
He underscored the rapid spread of the problem, stating, “This condition unfortunately created a domino effect, extending the disruption across the electricity system from Jambi and Riau, through North Sumatra, and all the way to Aceh.”
Following the widespread power outage, PLN swiftly mobilized its personnel to conduct thorough inspections of the affected substations and transmission systems. Demonstrating remarkable efficiency, both the substations and transmission lines were successfully restored within a mere two hours, showcasing the utility’s rapid response capabilities.
Darmawan was keen to differentiate this incident from the previous widespread disaster in Sumatra late last year, which involved significant physical damage, such as transmission towers collapsing due to landslides. He concluded with a reassuring update: “Today, we can confirm that our substation and transmission systems have been fully recovered.”
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Summary
PLN President Director Darmawan Prasodjo has officially apologized for a widespread power outage that impacted Sumatra on May 22, 2026. The disruption was triggered by severe weather that caused a critical fault in a 275 kV transmission line between Muara Bungo and Sungai Rumbai. This technical failure caused a domino effect across the regional electricity system, leading to imbalances in frequency and voltage that forced multiple power plants to shut down automatically.
The outage affected several provinces, including Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Riau, and Jambi. PLN responded rapidly by mobilizing personnel to inspect and repair the affected substations and transmission networks. The company successfully restored full power within two hours and confirmed that all systems are currently operating normally.