RRI.CO.ID, South Tapanuli - Indonesia is accelerating the grid connection of the Batang Toru Hydropower Plant to Sumatra’s electricity network after transmission disruptions caused by hydrological disasters in late 2025. The government considers the 510-megawatt project essential for strengthening electricity supply reliability across Sumatra.

The acceleration became the main focus of Vice Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Yuliot Tanjung’s visit to the National Strategic Project in South Tapanuli, North Sumatra, on Thursday, 30 July 2026. The plant is being developed by PT North Sumatera Hydro Energy and is expected to improve the resilience of the regional power system.

Yuliot said Sumatra’s energy conditions remained critical and required immediate preemptive measures from the government. He explained that limited availability of other primary energy sources increased the importance of bringing Batang Toru online quickly.

“This is our effort to accelerate national energy provision and reliability. In particular, energy conditions in the Sumatra region are quite critical, therefore preventative action is required. With the limited availability of other primary energy sources, we already have the Batang Toru Hydropower Plant that can be connected to the grid,” said Yuliot in the written statement of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry on Friday, 31 July 2026.

The urgency intensified after hydrological disasters in November 2025 toppled five transmission towers and damaged supporting electricity infrastructure. The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry is currently overseeing recovery efforts, which remain in the stage of designing replacement towers and foundation structures.

The vice minister said reconstruction of the transmission corridor was being carried out through an accelerated process to ensure electricity from Batang Toru could be distributed optimally throughout the Sumatra transmission network. The government wants the transmission restoration completed as quickly as possible to avoid further supply vulnerabilities.

Besides transmission problems, the Rp21.6 trillion project had also faced licensing and administrative obstacles during its development process. The project received the green light to resume after the Environment Minister revoked administrative sanctions through Decision Number 1444 of 2026 on 16 March 2026, followed by approval to continue construction activities.

The government is now finalizing administrative requirements and technical testing simultaneously because hydropower commissioning requires sufficient water impoundment for operational tests. Yuliot emphasized that testing could not be conducted without reservoir inundation, making parallel execution necessary.

The Batang Toru Hydropower Plant is expected to contribute to Indonesia’s renewable energy mix target, which currently stands around 16-17 percent and is targeted to reach 21 percent by the end of 2026. The 510-megawatt facility occupies a 650-hectare area in South Tapanuli Regency and has been under development since 1 September 2017 with foreign investment financing.