Nandito Putra, Jakarta – Indonesia's electricity company PLN continues to accelerate the restoration of the electrical system in Aceh following flash floods and landslides that damaged the main transmission network in several areas. President Director of PLN, Darmawan Prasodjo, said the damage is considered massive and requires special handling as access to the damaged networks is disrupted.
"The flash floods caused six transmission towers along the Bireuen-Arun route to collapse. The river, which was previously only 80 meters wide, widened to 300-400 meters, swiping away towers and cables," said Darmawan, who attended the virtual press conference by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in Central Jakarta on Tuesday, December 9, 2025.
He said the damage resulted in the disruption of the power supply from the Arun power plant to Banda Aceh, triggering rolling blackouts. Meanwhile, the reserve supply from the Nagan Raya power plant has not been able to meet the demands of the province's capital.
Damage was also recorded in the transmission networks to Aceh Tengah, Takengon, and Bener Meriah. Several towers along this route also collapsed, requiring parallel handling.
Due to the interrupted land access, PLN transported repair materials using military transport vehicles and aircraft. A total of 35 tons of tower materials and an additional 16 tons of cables, as well as pulling devices, were flown by the Indonesian Air Force helicopter, military trucks, and Hercules aircraft from Jakarta to Banda Aceh.
"We are working in very difficult terrain. The logistics pool is only two kilometers away from the tower points, but it cannot be accessed by land route," he said.
PLN targets several areas to have electricity gradually restored from December 11-31, 2025. The repair of the Langsa-Pangkalan Brandan transmission line is a priority because the Aceh network is still isolated from the Sumatra electrical system.
To reduce rolling blackouts, PLN also brought in additional generators to the affected areas. "We understand the difficulties faced by the residents due to this situation. The entire team is working full-time so that all of Aceh can return to normal as soon as possible," said Darmawan.
Based on PLN data as of 06:00 a.m. Jakarta time today, a total of 4,717 villages have had electricity restored, while 1,234 villages are still without power. Meaning, around 79 percent of the disaster-hit areas across 18 districts have now been reconnected to the power supply.
Some areas that have fully recovered include Aceh Besar, Aceh Selatan, Lhokseumawe, Subulussalam, Langsa, Aceh Singkil, and most of Aceh Barat.
Meanwhile, in Aceh Timur, there are still 453 villages with interrupted electricity access, while Aceh Tamiang has 162 villages, Bener Meriah 184 villages, Gayo Lues 75 villages, and Aceh Tengah 102 villages are still without power.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2072220/over-1200-villages-in-disaster-hit-aceh-remain-without-electricit