Indonesia restores power after Batam, Bintan blackout, cause still unknown

Power restoration took about 21.5 hours from the blackout’s reported start at 6.30am on Monday until the 4am Tuesday update, when nearly 99 per cent of affected customers on Batam and Bintan in Indonesia had electricity again. — Pexels pic

First Published: Tuesday, 13 Oct 2026 1:06 PM MYT

JAKARTA, Oct 13 — Electricity supply has been restored to nearly 99 per cent of affected customers on Indonesia’s Batam and Bintan islands following a massive blackout on Monday that disrupted businesses, communications and water supply.

State electricity provider PLN Batam said 406,083 of the 411,219 affected customers had regained power as of 4 am Tuesday.

“Restoration is being carried out gradually, with special attention given to electricity supply for vital installations and public service facilities, such as airports, hospitals, ports and other strategic facilities,” it said in a statement posted on social media.

The prolonged outage severely disrupted daily activities, with residents reporting difficulties accessing mobile networks, making digital payments and obtaining basic services.

Some businesses and accommodation facilities were also left without electricity and water supply, while residents and visitors sought refuge at premises equipped with generators.

PLN Batam said the blackout began around 6.30 am on Monday, with partial restoration reported by 8.49 am, although outages persisted in several areas into the night.

It said 496.7 megawatts (MW) of the affected 501.8 MW had been restored, with all 11 substations and 12 transmission units back in operation.

One distribution feeder remained under repair.

The cause of the blackout was still under investigation.

The Batam Development Authority confirmed that the blackout had also affected water treatment facilities, with backup generators capable of supporting only about 30 per cent of normal water production. — Bernama