Bali’s Power Blackout Triggers Tourists To Be More Prepared On Vacation

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On Friday, May 2nd, Bali experienced an unplanned province-wide blackout.

While power was restored across the island within 24 hours, with over 50% of the island reconnected within 2.5 hours, the incident has left locals and tourists shaken.

It has proven to be a wake-up call for tourists to be a little more prepared for their next vacation on the island.

A province-wide power cut hit Bali at around 4 pm on Friday afternoon. PT PLN, the national electric provider, immediately mobilized hundreds of personnel to help restore the connection and identify the cause of the issue.

This was not before havoc played out on Bali’s roads as traffic lights and traffic management systems went down, leaving drivers to navigate intersections without guidance. Within minutes, police were deployed across key areas to help direct traffic, though some collisions were reported.

Most hospitals, hotels, major shops, and the airport all have backup generators, and as the sunset on Friday evening approached, the roaring sound of emergency power supplies could be heard across communities. As the light started to fade, without street lights, drivers and pedestrians had to embark on increasingly treacherous journeys.

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In a statement issued on Friday evening, government spokesman Minister Prasetyo Hadi told reporters, “We received a report about the power outage in Bali Island, and on the direction of the President, we immediately coordinated with the President Director of PLN and related ranks. The government appreciates the quick steps that have been taken.”

He added, “On behalf of the President and the government, we apologize to the public for the inconvenience and thank you for the dedication of PLN colleagues who have worked quickly, tough, and professionally.”

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PLN were about to reconnect the power connection to over 50% of Bali Province within 2.5 hours, however, the most densely populated areas of the island, including Denpasar and the beach resort of Nusa Dua remained in darkness long into the evening. 

Fortunately for tourists, the blackout did not affect flights in and out of Bali, though if the connection had been down for much longer, things would have started to become problematic.

I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport General Manager, Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, told reporters, “We can convey that the electricity supply from PLN has been running normally again since 17.12 WITA. The departure process has gradually been running normally and all facilities have turned on again.”

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At Bali Airport backup generators kick in less than 60-seconds of a major power outage being detected. Shahab confirmed that the departure services were delayed by a few minutes during the power supply transition, but that no serious delays or issues with travel experience were recorded. 

The incident has sparked a new conversation in Bali regarding self-sufficiency and renewable energy. Bali Senator Nyoman Suyasa has urged the immediately accelerate efforts to become ‘energy independent’, since Bali is currently dependent on a power supply from Java for its electricity needs.

Senator Suyasa told reporters “This is very embarrassing and worrying. As a world-class tourist destination, Bali must not constantly depend on electricity supply from outside the region.”

He explained that Bali’s electricity capacity is around 1,150 megawatts (MW), while the peak load reaches 1,157,6 MW. From the total available power, around 815 MW comes from the power plant in Bali, while the other 340 MW is supplied through sea cables from Java. He noted, ”[This is] still a deficit. There must be an energy reserve that exceeds the need.”

Senator Suyasa has told Governor Wayan Koster “We have to start from now. Don’t wait until 2045. Population growth continues to increase, energy needs also increase.”

While neither PLN nor the provincial or central government have given any suggestion that an incident like this could or will happen again in the near future, it is an opportunity for tourists traveling to Bali to be more prepared. Investing in a power bank is highly advisable, ideally one that can recharge a smartphone more than once.

Tourists traveling to Bali who are concerned about access to power for their medical needs should contact their accommodation provider ahead of arrival to ensure that they will have their needs met with access to generator power in the event of another major power outage. 

In the event of another power outage, those in Bali can expect to find updates first issued by PLN Bali on Instagram.