Denpasar. The Bali chapter of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) has called for accelerated efforts to achieve energy independence, following a widespread blackout that disrupted much of the island last Friday.

PHRI Bali Vice Chairman I Gusti Agung Rai Suryawijaya said the incident underscored the urgent need for Bali to establish its own reliable energy sources.

“We strongly hope the Bali provincial government can realize energy self-sufficiency as soon as possible. Situations like this are particularly risky for a tourism-driven region like Bali,” he said on Sunday.

According to PHRI, Bali’s heavy dependence on electricity supplied from Java poses a critical vulnerability. The blackout has raised concerns among tourism stakeholders, especially within the hotel and restaurant sectors, as occupancy rates currently hover between 60 and 70 percent of the island’s 160,000 available rooms.

In addition to pushing for energy independence, PHRI also urged state electricity company PLN to intensify its infrastructure maintenance efforts. Agung Rai noted that no blackout of this scale had occurred in the past five years, highlighting the need for routine inspections and preventative upkeep.

“PLN should be conducting daily, weekly, and monthly maintenance to prevent disruptions like this,” he added.

The outage, which lasted more than five hours from 4 p.m. local time, severely disrupted daily activities across Bali, including in the hospitality sector. While most hotels were equipped with generators that activated within seconds, the situation still gave the impression of inadequate preparedness.

“Generators do kick in within seconds, but tourists may question whether Bali has sufficient energy reserves,” Agung Rai explained.

While hotels managed to maintain lighting, public areas such as roads, beaches, and tourist sites were plunged into darkness, damaging the island’s image as a premier travel destination.

“The real issue is in the public areas, which went completely dark. It seriously affected visitor comfort,” he said.

PHRI said hotel operators could only offer limited explanations to guests during the incident, with no ability to provide an accurate timeline for when electricity would be restored. They also advised tourists to remain extra cautious, as darkened streets posed potential safety hazards.

Add as a preferred source on Google +