What happened
The communications and corporate social responsibility manager of PLN UID Bali, I Wayan Eka Susana, described the state of the island's power system on Friday, 23 October 2026. PLN, the state electricity company, said the available capacity of Bali's system reaches 1,678 megawatts (MW). Peak load was recorded at 1,379 MW.
The difference between the two figures is 299 MW. According to the PLN representative, the system currently has a spare margin.
Why a margin does not rule out outages
Eka Susana stressed that the size of the margin does not mean outages are impossible. The reliability of supply also depends on how ready the power plants are, on the state of the transmission and distribution networks, and on whether the system can withstand a fault.
In other words, a 299 MW margin shows that on average there is enough capacity, but it does not say how often or where interruptions occur. The source gives no data on that.
Peak load is the highest level of simultaneous electricity use over a period. Plants and networks are designed around it. Available capacity shows what the system can actually deliver, not what is written in plant specifications. Comparing the two figures therefore gives a rough but clear picture.
What PLN plans to build
For future load growth PLN relies on its electricity supply business plan, RUPTL, for 2025-2034. It provides for about 2.744 gigawatts (GW) of additions to the Bali system. Of that, 886.8 MW is renewable energy, 307.5 MW is energy storage and 1,550 MW is gas-fired generation.
Besides plants, the plan includes 885 kilometres of transmission lines and substation capacity of 3,320 megavolt-amperes (MVA). Distribution networks are also to be developed.
Where demand comes from
According to Eka Susana, these steps are needed to get ahead of rising consumption from tourism, property development and electric vehicles. PLN separately mentions the growth of electric transport and says it is preparing the system for electric buses and other electric vehicles.
For a private owner this means load on the grid will grow from new villas and from vehicle charging alike. The source does not say how large that growth will be.
An island-wide figure hides differences between districts. Interruptions may come from a particular line or substation rather than from a general shortage of capacity. So the system-wide margin and the situation on a given street can differ.
An important caveat on the plan's status
PLN itself notes that the added generation and network reinforcement in RUPTL are a phased plan running to 2034. They are not capacity that already exists. Future reliability depends on whether the projects are delivered, whether the infrastructure is ready, and whether supply growth matches load growth.
So the 2.744 GW figure is currently a stated plan, not a fact on the ground.
For residents and businesses the takeaway is cautious. Today there is no general capacity shortfall, but the source does not promise an absence of outages either. The long-term targets for plants and networks will take time and investment, and should be judged as they are delivered.