Bali, a paradise island that is Indonesia’s most popular tourist destination, endured a chaotic blackout on Friday. At 4 PM local time, much of the affected area was left in the dark. Power cuts Indonesian state-owned electricity company PLN said the government should blame a million province-wide outages on shattered subsea cables linking Bali’s electricity network with Java Island. Yet the blackout disproportionately impacted local residents. It shattered the island’s lifeline infrastructure, breaking down traffic systems—including traffic lights—and shutting down the island’s only airport.
The blackout caused massive havoc, especially on Bali’s major roadways where traffic light systems were inoperable. According to The Guardian, long lines were seen at check-in counters at Bali’s airport. Inbound and outbound flights continued without interruption, as they switched to backup generators for power. Many of those departures were delayed, creating disappointment at the gates for would-be passengers.
In response to severe outages, PLN’s Prasetyo Hadi acknowledged that PLN was working to fix the past blackout.
“State utility PLN managed to restore most of the electricity supply in Bali,” – Prasetyo Hadi
Restoration Efforts Underway
In response to the constant blackout, PLN worked with community members to ensure that vital services were their priority during restoration. Critical facilities such as municipal buildings, hospitals, airports and hotels were prioritized for immediate restoration. This quick response was designed to protect public safety while promoting public convenience.
Power restoration efforts showed progress within hours. As of Friday night, PLN was saying power was slowly coming back on island-wide. Beyond the destruction of life and the economy, Hadi was hopeful for a full restoration to power.
“God willing, power connection in Bali will be fully restored tonight (Friday night),” – Prasetyo Hadi
By early Saturday morning, electricity was entirely restored, enabling residents and businesses to return to normal business.
Impact on Tourism and Daily Life
Bali hosted around 6.3 million international travelers last year, underscoring the island’s importance as a global tourist destination and economic lifeline for Indonesia. The blackout also threatened the island’s hard-earned reputation as a leading tourist destination. Travelers were subject to a great deal of inconvenience as a result of delayed flights and the shuttered TSA lines, alarmed stakeholders in the tourism industry.
Road traffic was similarly impacted, with backups becoming the new normal as motorists would approach intersections that do not have functioning traffic signals. The incident highlighted the crucial role a reliable supply of electricity played in keeping the island’s infrastructure—and tourism attraction—intact.
Looking Ahead
Though the blackout was a major inconvenience, PLN’s quick action showcased the durability of Bali’s infrastructure. The incident has been a wake-up call, reminding everyone of the fragility of depending on subsea cables to deliver 80 percent of our electricity supply.
While Bali’s tourism will now return to focusing on recovery from the recent incident. All stakeholders should be scrutinizing the reliability of its power infrastructure to prevent a repeat of these highly unusual occurrences. Yet the island’s continued fortune as one of the top tourist destinations in the United States depends on keeping those vital arteries pumping and all-important services running smooth.
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