Bali prepares for blackouts from September to November

State electricity company PT PLN will conduct a rotating blackout across the resort island of Bali between Sept. 23 and Nov. 23, due to ongoing repairs at the gas-fired Gilimanuk power plant PLTG) in Jembrana regency.

PLN’s Bali office began announcing the measures through print and electronic media Tuesday.

“We expect the governor and regents to spread the news to village and district heads, and finally to residents,” PLN Bali spokesman Agung Mastika said Tuesday, adding that big companies and professional associations would also receive official notification about the blackouts.

The blackouts will last only a few hours each day, but will affect the prominent tourist areas of Kuta, Nusa Dua and Denpasar.

Bali’s power needs are only 490 megawatts (MW) during peak hours, well below its supply of 562 MW. But repairs at Gilimanuk have reduced the supply to 432 MW.

The island’s power supply usually comes from diesel-fired plants in Pesanggaran (152 MW), Pemaron (80 MW), the Java-Bali interconnection (200 MW), and from Gilimanuk.

Mastika said PLN Bali would rent 20 power generators, each with a capacity of 1 MW, to help ease the power deficit.