PT PLN Batam said a power system disturbance that began at 6:37 a.m. WIB on Monday, October 12, 2026, caused a widespread outage across Batam and surrounding areas, with initial findings pointing to a wild animal entering the Sungai Harapan substation. By Tuesday morning the utility had restored power to about 98.8 percent of customers, while technical teams and authorities continued to investigate the exact cause.
Key Facts At A Glance
- The disturbance began at 6:37 a.m. WIB on Monday, October 12, 2026.
- PT PLN Batam’s initial findings point to a wild animal entering the Sungai Harapan substation.
- The exact cause is still under investigation by technical teams and authorities.
- The outage affected 501.8 MW of load, and 5.1 MW remained offline as of 5:00 a.m. on October 13.
- About 411,219 customers, or 98.8 percent, had power restored by Tuesday morning, while 5,127 customers remained without supply.
- One distribution feeder was still under repair as of Tuesday morning.
- Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said he would meet PLN about the outage.
PT PLN Batam has restored electricity to most customers in Batam, Riau Islands, after a widespread outage on Monday morning. The utility said a wild animal entering the Sungai Harapan substation is suspected of triggering the disturbance that began at 6:37 a.m. WIB and cut supply to several areas. Corporate Secretary Rudi Antono said technical teams and relevant authorities are still tracing the exact cause.
On Monday, areas including Batam Kota, Bengkong, Sagulung and Sekupang districts lost power from around 6:30 a.m. WIB. The Batam regional legislative building and the mayor’s office were still without grid power around noon and were running on generators, while PLN Batam said restoration was proceeding in stages.
Rudi said recovery advanced significantly from Monday night onward. As of 5:00 a.m. WIB on Tuesday, October 13, PLN Batam reported that 5,127 customers were still without power, while nearly 98.8 percent of customers, or 411,219, had their supply restored. Communications Manager Yoga Perdana Sulastama said one feeder at a distribution substation was still under repair, with 5.1 MW of the 501.8 MW affected load remaining offline and about 496.7 MW back in service.
In Jakarta, Bahlil Lahadalia, who serves as Coordinating Minister for Downstreaming and Energy Transition, said he would coordinate with PT PLN (Persero) on the Batam outage and would meet the company after attending a national business association meeting. Bahlil, who also serves as Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, said he would immediately check the electricity situation in Batam through PLN.
Publicly available details remain limited. PT PLN Batam has not released a final technical finding, and reporting so far relies mainly on the utility’s statements and initial assessment.