Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and Bareskrim Deploy Teams to Investigate Sumatra Blackout
The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) has stated it is coordinating closely with PT PLN (Persero) to address the power system disruption that occurred on Friday, 22 May. ‘As the regulator and supervisor of the electricity subsector, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources is taking this blackout incident seriously. We understand the disruption has caused inconvenience to the public and impacted economic and social activities in affected areas,’ said Deputy Minister Yuliot, quoted from the ministry’s website on Sunday, 24 May.
The ministry, Yuliot added, will ensure a thorough and comprehensive technical investigation to determine the root cause of the disruption and prepare mitigation measures to prevent recurrence.
Acting Director General of Electricity Tri Winarno stated the government continues to evaluate and monitor the recovery process to ensure a reliable and safe electricity supply for the public. ‘In the initial phase after the widespread blackout, we deployed electricity inspectors to the field and will strengthen teams for more intensive investigations to prevent recurrence. We also thank the public for their understanding and patience during the recovery process,’ Tri explained.
Tri added that, besides recovery efforts, Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia has directed PLN to enhance Sumatra’s backbone system reliability through the construction of 500 kV/275 kV power plants and transmission lines, and strengthen subsystem reliability in each province. PLN must also prepare blackstart power plants or infrastructure to accelerate recovery in case of disruptions. ‘The Energy Minister has directed us to expedite the construction of power plants in West Sumatra to ensure smooth operation,’ Tri said.
Meanwhile, police have found no indications of deliberate action in the incident. ‘Bareskrim’s Criminal Investigation Directorate has deployed a team to the break point of the 175-176 kV transmission line in Tempino Village, Mestong, Muara Jambi. Police are investigating the cause of the blackout in several Sumatran regions,’ said Bareskrim’s Criminal Investigation Directorate Chief Brigadier General Mohammad Irhamni in a written statement on Sunday, 24 May.
The team, accompanied by Bareskrim’s Forensic Laboratory and PLN, inspected the site. The broken conductor as evidence was taken to Bareskrim’s Forensic Laboratory. ‘The broken conductor evidence has been sent to Bareskrim’s Forensic Laboratory and PLN’s Research and Development for further examination,’ he said.
Irhamni stated no signs of intentional human involvement have been found so far, with further checks ongoing. ‘So far, there is no indication of human intent in the conductor’s disconnection,’ he said.
A widespread blackout was reported across several parts of Sumatra on the evening of Friday, 22 May. According to detikSumut, electricity in central Medan was completely cut off. Several main roads were plunged into darkness due to the failure of street lighting and traffic lights at various intersections, including Balai Kota Street, Guru Patimpus Street, Gatot Subroto Street, Gajah Mada Street, and S. Parman Street.
A resident, Risma, said the power went out around 6:45pm WIB while she was performing Maghrib prayer at a mosque on Sei Deli Street. ‘I was praying when the power suddenly went out. The mosque was pitch black, but thankfully the imam’s voice was still audible, allowing us to continue the congregational prayer,’ she told detikSumut on Friday, 22 May.