PLN Boss's Story About Electricity Recovery In Sumatra, Broken Access To Helicopter Deployment

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. PLN)

JAKARTA - President Director of PT PLN (Persero) Darmawan Prasodjo conveyed a number of challenges faced by officers when restoring the Aceh electricity system which was destroyed by floods and landslides.

Dalam laporannya, Darmawan menjelaskan bahwa bencana telah menyebabkan kerusakan besar pada sistem kelistrikan Aceh, terutama pada jaringan penularan.

The worst damage occurred in the Bireuen transmission line with six towers collapsing due to the flash flood.

This condition is exacerbated by the expansion of the river body up to hundreds of meters.

As a result, the generator in Arun cannot flow to Banda Aceh optimally, resulting in a rotating blackout.

PLN had carried out a system synchronization process from the Arun generator to the Aceh network.

On December 8, 2025, PLTMG Arun again supplied the main substations to the Bireuen, Takengon and Samalanga areas.

However, during the process of expanding the synchronization towards Sigli and Banda Aceh, there were technical obstacles so that the electricity distribution had to be temporarily suspended.

In the recovery process, PLN must make extraordinary efforts, including transporting heavy materials by air because land access is cut off.

"Materials for repairing towers weighing 35 tons have to be transported using helicopters, one by one," Darmawan said, Tuesday, December 9.

However, Darmawan emphasized that his party is committed to accelerating recovery in the midst of tough challenges in the field.

PLN ensures that the synchronization process continues to be pursued in stages by securing a stricter system so as not to cause further disturbances.

PLN, he said, has also succeeded in restarting four districts that had previously been completely dark, namely Central Aceh, Bener Meriah, Aceh Tamiang, and Gayo Lues.

However, there are still villages and low-voltage networks that require further time to be restored.

In addition, obstacles also occurred in the Langsa'Pangkalan Brandan transmission line, where five towers collapsed. This condition breaks the Aceh electricity system with the Great System of Sumatra and increases the risk of interference during the synchronization process.

The technical assessment results show that the repair of the five towers takes a maximum of ten days so that the synchronization of the Aceh system with the Sumatra backbone line can run safely and completely. Until now, Banda Aceh is still experiencing a rotating blackout due to a supply shortage of around 40 MW.

For this condition, Darmawan apologized to the people of Aceh.

"We express our deepest apologies to the entire Acehnese people. There is no reason whatsoever to erase this inconvenience," said Darmawan.

To reduce the impact of blackouts during the recovery period, PLN continues to increase the supply of generators for emergency needs in public service facilities, such as hospitals, government centers, evacuation posts and telecommunications infrastructure.

Di sisi lain, PLN juga terus berkoordinasi dengan Kementerian ESDM, pemerintah daerah, TNI, Polri, BNPB, serta PUPR untuk membuka akses wilayah yang masih terisolasi, mempercepat perbaikan infrastruktur, serta mengantisipasi potensi longsor susulan melalui penyisiran menyeluruh di seluruh jalur terdampak.

Darmawan juga menegaskan komitmen penuh PLN untuk menuntaskan pemulihan kelistrikan Aceh.

“Kami terus berkomitmen mengerahkan seluruh pasukan kekuatan kami agar sistem kelistrikan Aceh bisa pulih kembali,” tandas Darmawan.

On the other hand, PLN also continues to coordinate with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, local governments, TNI, Polri, BNPB, and PUPR to open access to areas that are still isolated, accelerate infrastructure improvements, and anticipate potential subsequent landslides through thorough sweeping of all affected routes.

Darmawan also emphasized PLN's full commitment to completing the recovery of Aceh electricity.

"We continue to be committed to deploying all of our forces so that the Aceh electricity system can recover," said Darmawan.