Darkness Descends on Bali: A Night Without Power
Power Outage Plagues Bali Island: Plunged into Darkness
Faced with an unexpected, island-wide blackout, Bali found itself plunged into a temporary state of disarray. On May 2, 2025, faulty infrastructure and damaged cables caused the power to go out nearly everywhere, leaving countless residents in the dark.
The airport, a lifeline for this popular tourist destination, was also ensnared in this power predicament. With backup generators in place, some flights managed to take off, albeit delayed. But the roads, once teeming with traffic, became deserted oceans of gloom and silence.
State-owned utility company PLN acknowledged the crisis, and their teams were swiftly dispatched across the island to restore power. Government institutions, hospitals, the airport, and hotels were their priority given their critical roles in the island's operations.
Investigations suggested that the outage resulted from issues with the Java-Bali undersea cable system and an equipment failure at the Celukan Bawang PLTU Unit #2.
Such power outages aren't unheard of in other parts of the world, such as Spain, where, on a different occasion in April, millions of people were left without electricity due to a rare atmospheric phenomenon. Unfortunately, this event claimed five lives.
Bali struggled through the night and into the next day, eventually regaining power by the evening. By the end of the crisis, over 940,000 residents had their lights back on. The incident served as a stark reminder of the importance of robust infrastructure and quick crisis management, especially in a highly tourist-dependent region such as Bali.
Consider reading about:
- Crippling Power Outage: Investigations and Aftermath
- Power Grid Rebuild: Addressing the Root Causes of Major Blackouts
[1] "Widespread Power Outage in Bali forces evacuation at hospitals, disrupts airport operations." The Rapid Times. May 2, 2025. https://www.therapidtimes.com/news/98216
[2] "Bali Experiences Power Outage, Delaying Flights, Stranding Travellers." Travel Daily. May 2, 2025. https://traveldaily.asia/bali-experiences-power-outage-delaying-flights-stranding-travellers
[3] "Major Power Outage Strikes Spain and Portugal, Causing Chaos." The New York Times. April 28, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/28/world/europe/power-outage-spain-portugal.html
[4] "Europe's Electricity Grid Brought to a Halt: What Happened?" Euronews. April 28, 2025. https://www.euronews.com/green/2025/04/28/europes-electricity-grid-brought-to-a-halt-what-happened
[5] "Bali Power Outage: Causes, Impact, Resolution." Power Politics. May 4, 2025. https://powerpolitics.com/bali-power-outage-causes-impact-resolution/
- The island-wide power outage in Bali, declared on May 2, 2025, also affected the airport's operations, causing backup and delaying some flights.
- As a result of this power predicament, transportation come to a standstill in Bali, with congestion turning into gloom and silence on the roads.
- The finance and industry sectors of Bali were also impacted due to the power outage, as the blackout brought the majority of operations to a halt.
- In light of the power outage incident in Bali and similar events in other countries like Spain, discussions about infrastructure's reinvestment and emergency preparedness are necessary to ensure a secure and stable power supply in tourist-dependent regions.
