A fault on the 150-kilovolt high-voltage transmission network knocked out power across parts of Bekasi City on Saturday, 3 May 2025. The list of affected areas published by Okezone included Perumnas 2, Perumnas 3 in East Bekasi, Jalan Juanda, Bantar Gebang and Jalan Perjuangan Teluk Angsan. Donna Sinatra, Manager of PLN UP3 Bekasi, apologised for the disruption. Residents were asked to report through the PLN Mobile app or Contact Center 123.
Bad weather cuts the supply too. Antara reported that on 17 April 2024 a house roof ripped off by strong wind during heavy rain landed on a medium-voltage overhead line in Lubang Buaya, Mustikajaya. PLN UP3 Bekasi sent five crews and the lights were back on in under two hours. For this season, BMKG’s Rainy Season Forecast 2026/2027 (September 2026) expects northern Bekasi City to enter the rainy season only in the last ten days of December 2026. The southern part of the city starts earlier, around the middle of November.
The limit is 1 hour a month
Your rights during a power cut sit in Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Ministerial Regulation No. 27 of 2017 on Service Quality Levels and Costs Related to Electricity Distribution by PT PLN (Persero). It has been amended twice: by ESDM Regulation 18/2019, in force from 1 January 2020, and by ESDM Regulation 2/2025, signed on 8 January 2025. The latest amendment left the outage-duration limit and compensation scale unchanged.
Article 6A sets the outage-duration standard at 1 hour per month. The minister may set a different figure for particular areas, based on geography or the condition of the existing network. What counts is the total time without power in a month, measured from the moment PLN learns of the fault, whether through its SCADA system or a customer report, until the power comes back. Once the total goes past the limit, you are entitled to compensation as a bill reduction, on this scale:
| Time over the 1-hour limit | Compensation (share of the fixed charge or minimum bill) |
|---|---|
| Up to 2 hours | 50% |
| More than 2 and up to 4 hours | 75% |
| More than 4 and up to 8 hours | 100% |
| More than 8 and up to 16 hours | 200% |
| More than 16 and up to 40 hours | 300% |
| More than 40 hours | 500% |
Say your house loses power three times in a month, 80 minutes each time. That is 4 hours in total, or 3 hours over the limit. It falls in the more-than-2-up-to-4-hours band, so the compensation is 75% of the fixed charge or minimum bill.
Article 6, which Regulation 2/2025 restated, still carries a general rule: PLN must cut the bill by 35% or 20% when actual service quality is more than 10% worse than the set standard, and its list of indicators includes outage duration. Article 6A is the specific provision for outage duration and has no 10% tolerance. With a 1-hour limit, the two readings differ by only 6 minutes on when the right kicks in, but they give different amounts. This article uses the Article 6A scale because that is the provision written specifically for outage duration.
The second indicator is outage frequency: how many times the power goes off in a month. The minister sets that standard at the start of each year, taking PLN’s proposal into account. If the actual count is more than 10% above it, compensation is 35% of the fixed charge or minimum bill for tariff groups subject to tariff adjustment, or 20% for groups that are not (Articles 6 and 6B). Article 3 requires PLN to post its service-quality standards and actual results at every service unit at the start of each quarter. Because the figure is reset every year, ask for your area’s number at the nearest PLN customer service office (ULP).
Postpaid and prepaid get the same treatment
Article 6C puts prepaid customers on the same footing as postpaid customers with the same connected capacity. Compensation is applied the following month: postpaid customers see it as a reduction on their bill, and token users get it when they top up. The regulation sets no requirement for customers to file a claim. Special-service customers are excluded from this scheme (Article 6C(3)). The differences between the two payment systems are covered in prepaid vs postpaid electricity in Bekasi cluster houses.
The exemptions
Article 7 releases PLN from paying outage-duration and outage-frequency compensation in four situations:
- maintenance, expansion or rehabilitation work, provided PLN notifies customers at least 24 hours before the supply is cut;
- a fault in the installation that was not caused by PLN’s negligence;
- a situation that is technically likely to endanger public safety;
- a criminal investigation.
Article 8 adds force majeure, meaning causes beyond PLN’s control, which include fire, flood, landslide, earthquake, accidents, other natural disasters and orders from an authorised agency. That means an outage caused by flooding may well bring no compensation. An incident like the roof that blew onto the Mustikajaya line could also be classed as a fault not caused by PLN’s negligence.
The actual figures PLN reports to the minister come from PLN’s own measurements and reporting application (Article 6C(5)). Keep your own record of when the power went off and when it came back, so you have something to compare against if next month’s reduction looks wrong.
Report early, check the breaker first
The outage clock starts when PLN receives information, and a customer report counts as a recognised source under the regulation. If SCADA does not pick up the fault and nobody reports it, the clock may start late. Before you call, look at the miniature circuit breaker (MCB) at your kWh meter. If only your house is dark and the MCB has tripped, the problem is likely in your own wiring, which Article 29(2) of the Electricity Law makes the customer’s responsibility to keep safe. If the whole block is out, report it through PLN Mobile or Contact Center 123, then keep the report number and a screenshot showing when you reported.
Protect your electronics during an outage
- Unplug the TV, computer, router and water pump until the supply is stable again.
- Switch the AC off with the remote and unplug it, so several big appliances don’t start at once when the power returns.
- Switch off the MCB if water starts coming into the house or flooding gets close to ground-floor sockets.
- Once the power is back, plug things in one at a time.
- Stay away from fallen cables or trees lying on power lines. PLN UP3 Bekasi manager Donna Sinatra has urged residents to report hazards, such as trees that could fall onto the lines, through PLN Mobile or the nearest PLN service office.
If your household needs power to stay on, for example because someone works from home, UPS units, generators and solar power banks are compared in power backup for Bekasi cluster houses.
Damaged electronics take a separate route
Service-quality compensation is only ever a bill reduction. ESDM Regulation 27/2017 and its two amendments say nothing about paying for damaged equipment. The broader basis is Law 30/2009 on Electricity, as amended by Law 6/2023. Article 29(1)(e) gives customers the right to compensation when an outage is caused by error or negligence in operation by the electricity supplier, under the terms set in the electricity supply agreement. That wording covers outages and points back to the agreement, so a claim for a damaged appliance will not automatically be accepted.
If something breaks at the same time as a fault, gather the date and time, your PLN Mobile report number, photos of the item, and a receipt or written note from the repair technician. File a complaint with PLN using that evidence. If you can’t reach an agreement, Article 45 of Law 8/1999 on Consumer Protection lets you bring a claim through a consumer dispute settlement body or a general court.
Before December arrives
Strong wind during heavy rain damages roofs and canopies as well as power lines. The checklist is in Bekasi windstorms 2026. If you are viewing the Emerald 70 house at Kingspoint Residence, Jl. Raya Perjuangan, North Bekasi, ask about the meter type and power capacity of the unit you have in mind. The two-storey house sits on a 47.25 m² plot with 70 m² of floor area, about five minutes from Bekasi Station.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a power cut have to last before PLN pays compensation?
Compensation applies when total outage time in a month goes above the outage-duration limit, which Article 6A of ESDM Regulation 27/2017 as amended sets at 1 hour per month (the minister can set a different figure for particular areas). It is 50% to 500% of the fixed charge or minimum bill, unless the outage falls under the Article 7 exemptions or Article 8 force majeure, such as a flood.
How does compensation work for prepaid token users?
It matches the compensation for a postpaid customer with the same connected capacity and is applied to the next month's token purchase (Article 6C of ESDM Regulation 27/2017 as amended).
Does PLN replace electronics damaged during an outage?
PLN service-quality compensation is only a bill reduction and does not replace equipment. Damage claims go through a complaint to PLN with full evidence. Article 29(1)(e) of Law 30/2009 on Electricity gives a right to compensation for outages caused by operating error or negligence, under the terms of the electricity supply agreement, so a claim is not automatically accepted. If it stalls, Article 45 of Law 8/1999 opens the route to a consumer dispute body or a court.
References: ESDM Regulation No. 27 of 2017, ESDM Regulation No. 18 of 2019 and ESDM Regulation No. 2 of 2025 (BPK legal database, peraturan.bpk.go.id); Law No. 30 of 2009 on Electricity as amended by Law No. 6 of 2023; Law No. 8 of 1999 on Consumer Protection; Okezone, “Ternyata Ini Penyebab Listrik Padam di Sejumlah Wilayah Bekasi” (3 May 2025); Antara Megapolitan, “PLN Bekasi Respons Cepat Gangguan Pasokan Listrik akibat Hujan” (18 April 2024); BMKG, Prediksi Musim Hujan 2026/2027 di Indonesia (September 2026).
Want to know the meter setup in a Kingspoint unit?
Ask which meter type (prepaid token or postpaid) and power capacity the Emerald 70 houses still available on Jl. Raya Perjuangan, North Bekasi, come with.
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