Deputy Energy Minister Confirms Sumatra Blackout Not Caused by Sabotage

Deputy Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Yuliot Tanjung confirmed there was no intentional action behind the mass blackout in Sumatra that occurred on Friday, 22 May 2026 at 6:44 pm WIB. Yuliot stated the blackout was caused by lightning striking transmission lines in Jambi. ‘No, there was no sabotage. It was purely due to natural conditions,’ Yuliot said when interviewed at the Senayan Parliamentary Complex in Jakarta on Monday, 25 May 2026. The lightning strike affected the stability of Sumatra’s electricity system, particularly as most power supplied to northern Sumatra originates from the south, he added. ‘Thus, the entire system experienced a blackout at the time of the incident,’ Yuliot explained. PLN Transmission Director Edwin Nugraha Putra, speaking at Bareskrim Police HQ in Jakarta on Monday, detailed a power swing in Sumatra’s grid caused by heavy rain, lightning, and strong winds, which disrupted the 275 kV New Aur Duri transmission line in Muaro Jambi, Jambi. This triggered a protective ‘trip’—a safety mechanism cutting off power—which led to blackouts across various Sumatran regions. ‘There were no outages in Lampung and most of Palembang, but customers in Jambi, Riau, West Sumatra, North Sumatra, and Aceh experienced power cuts,’ Edwin said. PLN conducted physical damage checks before restoring the transmission system. Once normalised, the power generation system was addressed. By 6 am on Sunday, 24 May 2026, PLN had restored 176 affected main substations, with electricity supply gradually returning to customers. Meanwhile, Bareskrim Police confirmed no sabotage occurred in the Sumatra mass power outage on Friday, 22 May 2026.