Flores power restored after earthquake as all 1.144m customers back online
PT PLN (Persero) restored the Flores electricity grid in East Nusa Tenggara on Tuesday evening, returning supply to every customer affected by an M7.7 quake.
Source: ANTARA News · August 18, 2026 at 10:51 PM · AI-assisted report
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KUALA LUMPUR, 19 AUGUST 2026 —
PT PLN (Persero) restored the Flores electricity grid in East Nusa Tenggara on Tuesday evening, returning supply to every customer affected by an M7.7 quake.
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All 1.144 million customers cut off on the afternoon of August 18 had power restored by 17:40 Western Indonesia Time, the state utility said.
East Nusa Tenggara governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena thanked PLN’s central and regional teams and field staff for restoring service within hours of the offshore tremor.
“On behalf of the provincial government and people of East Nusa Tenggara, we express our gratitude to PLN, from the board in Jakarta to the NTT general manager, the Flores regional team and all field workers who acted swiftly from day one to bring electricity back to Flores and surrounding islands,” he said.
PLN president director Darmawan Prasodjo said the grid was fully re-energised after around-the-clock work by more than 1,100 personnel who moved from site to site under difficult conditions.
“Alhamdulillah, Flores is back on the grid. Since the quake, PLN staff worked day and night checking each point before we could normalise the network,” Darmawan told reporters.
He credited the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, local governments, the regional disaster agency BPBD, the military, police and communities for clearing access routes and sharing information that speeded repairs.
General manager of PLN’s Nusa Tenggara regional unit, F. Eko Sulistyono, said crews mobilised 1,144 personnel, materials and equipment to secure, repair and re-energise the network in stages.
“From the moment the quake hit, we assessed damage across the affected zone,” Eko said. “Access to some sites was blocked, so crews had to check every tower and line before we could restore power safely.”
With supply fully restored, PLN has placed teams on standby to monitor the grid and watch for aftershocks that could cause further disruptions.
PLN also distributed emergency lighting kits, food and logistics, health packages, supplies for infants and children, and sanitation kits to households in the worst-hit zones through its Social and Environmental Responsibility programme.
The recovery effort underscores the utility’s role as a backbone for Labuan Bajo’s tourism sector, one of Indonesia’s Super Priority Destinations, Darmawan said.
For Malaysian investors in Indonesian utilities and hospitality assets, the rapid restoration highlights the operational resilience of PLN’s regional teams and the economic importance of stable power to tourism corridors.
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