Repeated Mass Power Outages in Sumatra: How to Achieve Zero Blackouts?

JAKARTA — Various reasons have been cited for blackouts in Sumatra, but one thing is certain: mass power outages continue to recur. Causes include grid interconnection issues, problems with Extra High Voltage (EHV) transmission lines, and severe weather. In the past seven years, Sumatra has experienced at least three major blackouts: in 2019, 2024, and most recently in 2026. Yet Sumatra is one of Indonesia’s regions with the largest energy resources. The island has substantial coal reserves, geothermal potential, natural gas, and water resources to support power generation. Can the country achieve zero blackouts in the future? While it is acknowledged that the power system can never be guaranteed to be completely fault-free or achieve ‘zero blackouts’, technically blackouts can occur even in developed countries, given that power systems are highly complex networks involving interconnected generation, distribution, and transmission. Prolonged blackouts can be understood as a technical risk of the power system. ‘Technically, blackouts will occur. If the error rate standard is 1%, that’s when blackouts happen. There is no standard of 0% or ’zero blackouts’—even PLN and utilities abroad experience them,’ Fahmy told Kompas.com on Monday, 25 May 2026. However, if mass outages occur too frequently, it indicates issues in network management. ‘If they happen repeatedly, say once a year, that’s a clear sign of PLN’s shortcomings that need fixing,’ he added.