When Jakarta is Thrust into Pitch Darkness...

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Dusk had not yet fully fallen when parts of Jakarta suddenly lost power. Electricity went out, and the usually bustling city came to a momentary halt—slow, even anxious at times. Complaints from residents emerged on social media. From Jelambar in Kebon Jeruk, Jembatan Lima, to Pluit and Penjaringan, power outages were reported almost simultaneously. Even Duri Station was temporarily plunged into darkness. Some residents wondered what had happened. The outage’s impact extended to public transport. At Lebak Bulus MRT Station, several facilities were disrupted. Passengers were even reported to have been trapped in lifts. MRT Jakarta confirmed the disruption. The Head of the Corporate Secretary Division, Rendy Primartantyo, stated that the issue originated from the power supply. “This operational disruption was caused by a power supply issue from PLN’s side, resulting in some station facilities, such as lighting, elevators, escalators, and others, experiencing disruptions,” said Rendy on Thursday (9/4/2026). “MRT Jakarta has taken handling and normalisation steps quickly and continues to coordinate with relevant parties to ensure services return to normal,” he added. He also extended apologies to users. “We apologise for the inconvenience; the safety of MRT Jakarta customers remains our priority,” said Rendy. Amid the situation, an explanation came from PLN.