Amelia Rahima Sari, Jakarta – A broiler chicken farmer in Aceh Barat Daya, Muhammad Hatta, is suing the state electricity company PLN in the Blangpidie District Court. The lawsuit stems from a series of power outages in late September 2025 that resulted in the death of 18,000 of his chickens.
The plaintiff's legal representative, Miswar, stated that his client had initially sent three formal notices to PLN in Jakarta demanding compensation.
PLN's Aceh Distribution Unit only responded after the third notice, on October 20, 2025, merely offering an apology for the power disruption. Miswar said, "Finally, yesterday we filed a lawsuit in the Blangpidie District Court," as quoted by Antara on Thursday, November 13, 2025.
Miswar explained that on September 29, 2025, a power outage lasted for more than 12 hours, which then continued for three consecutive days without any official notification from PLN.
The lawyer emphasized that the three consecutive outages severely impacted his client's business, which relies entirely on electricity for the ventilation and lighting necessary for the chicken coop operation.
The farmer from Gampong Blang Raja incurred material losses estimated at Rp800 million due to the deaths of the 18,000 broiler chickens.
Miswar noted that despite the farmer having a backup generator prepared, the uncertainty of the electricity supply eventually caused the generator to explode. He added that even if they had purchased a new generator, acquiring fuel was problematic due to disruptions at local gas stations.
Legal grounds for the lawsuit
Miswar contends that PLN's failure to notify customers of scheduled power outages and to provide compensation constitutes negligence. He asserts that this negligence fulfills the elements of an unlawful act as stipulated in Supreme Court Decisions Number 1229 K/Pdt/2006 and Number 2314 K/Pdt/2013.
He further cited that as an electricity business operator, PLN is legally required to comply with Article 29, paragraph (1) of Law Number 30 of 2009 concerning Electricity, which mandates good service to customers. Miswar added, "Moreover, [PLN must] provide compensation in the form of reimbursement for losses to customers due to errors or negligence in operating the electricity sector in Aceh."
Miswar also revealed that PLN had violated Article 19, paragraphs (1) and (2) of Law Number 8 of 1999 concerning Consumer Protection. This regulation holds business operators responsible for consumer losses resulting from services that fail to meet quality standards.
Due to PLN's negligence and poor service, the client is seeking material losses amounting to Rp784 million in cash and immaterial losses of Rp1 billion in cash, covering damages such as business reputation disruption, loss of partner trust, and moral suffering.
"Based on this, we are suing PT PLN to pay my client material losses in cash amounting to Rp784 million. Furthermore, PLN must also pay immaterial losses to my client in cash and at once amounting to Rp1 billion," said Miswar.
According to the Case Search Information System of the Blangpidie District Court, the lawsuit is registered under case number 11/Pdt.G/2025/PN Bpd. The plaintiff is identified as PT Meuligo Raya, and the defendant is PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (Persero), specifically PLN Aceh.
The total dispute amount is stated as Rp1.78 billion. The first trial is scheduled for Wednesday, November 26, 2025.