Power Fully Restored in Bali After Major Blackout
Bali, Indonesia – Early Saturday morning, the state electricity company announced that power on the popular tourist destination of Bali has been completely restored following a significant blackout that began on Friday afternoon. This incident occurs shortly after a massive power failure affected millions in Spain and Portugal.
Details of the Outage
According to Darmawan Prasodjo, the president director of state electricity firm Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), the outage was initially attributed to a disruption in subsea cables. The blackout commenced at 4 PM local time (0800 GMT) and impacted numerous regions across the island, leaving businesses, homes, and public services in disarray.
Access to Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport was also disrupted by the outage, although backup generators allowed inbound and outbound flights to continue operation. Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, the airport’s general manager, confirmed that while flight traffic was maintained, some departures experienced delays.
Impact on Daily Life
The blackout’s effects were rapidly felt across the island, particularly in popular areas such as Canggu, where social media users reported that entire streets were plunged into darkness. The power failure rendered traffic lights non-operational, leading to significant traffic jams. Many businesses were forced to halt operations due to disrupted payment systems, and mobile phone signals were affected, complicating communication further.
PLN released a statement apologizing for the outages and confirmed that they were in the process of restoring services. They reported that power had been restored to approximately 43% of the affected areas by Saturday morning, and regular updates were promised to the public.
Context of Recent Power Outages
This incident in Bali has drawn parallels to the widespread blackout that recently affected Spain and Portugal. On Monday, power outages in the Iberian Peninsula left millions without electricity, disrupting domestic and international transport while stranding many travelers. Currently, the Spanish government is conducting investigations to ascertain the exact causes of that blackout and to identify vulnerabilities in their power grid.
As Bali residents and visitors return to normalcy following the latest incident, the disruptions serve as a stark reminder of the fragility of power infrastructure and the widespread impact that outages can have on daily life and international travel.
If anyone was affected by the blackout in Bali, they are encouraged to share their experiences with The Independent.
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