Aceh Floods: Electricity Damage Worse than 2004 Tsunami

Impact of Electricity Damage

PLN's Director General Darmawan Prasodjo stated that the electricity damage caused by floods and landslides in Aceh Province is worse than the 2004 tsunami. 442 damage points were reported, far exceeding the 8 damage points during the 2004 tsunami.

Recovery Process

Darmawan reported that the recovery process of the electricity system in 15 of the 23 districts and cities in Aceh Province has reached 100% and the remaining 8 districts are still in the process of repair. The speed of the recovery process is closely related to the access to evacuation materials at the location.

Recovery Challenges

The three areas with the slowest recovery are Aceh Tengah, Bener Meriah, and Gayo Lues. The evacuation process of electricity materials in Aceh Tengah and Bener Meriah is still using air transport, while the evacuation and recovery process in Gayo Lues can be done through land routes.

Impact of Damage on Customer Homes

The damage to the electricity system in PLN customer homes is more than 80,000 homes in Aceh Utara, more than 38,000 homes in Aceh Tamiang, and more than 31,000 homes in Biren.

Conclusion

Although the evacuation route of electricity materials in some areas has been opened and can be accessed by PLN, the condition does not immediately enable the electricity in the affected villages to be turned on. Many districts have rapid electricity recovery, but many PLN customer homes are still damaged and buried in mud, so the lighting from house to house still requires time.