Ahmad Sahroni, the Deputy Chairman of Commission III of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), has voiced his strong support for the National Police (Polri) to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the massive Sumatra blackout. He emphasized that a thorough inquiry is essential given the significant and widespread impact the power failure has had on the general public.
The National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) has already deployed teams to Jambi to pinpoint the cause of the incident. The investigation is currently focused on the 275kV Extra High Voltage Air Line (SUTET) along the Muara Bungo-Sungai Rumbai route, specifically targeting the locations of Tower 175 and 176 in Tempino Village, Muaro Jambi. Preliminary findings indicate that severe weather conditions forced the transmission system out of the Sumatra electrical interconnection.
“I am urging Polri, PLN, and all relevant parties to immediately investigate the root cause of this total blackout in Sumatra,” Sahroni stated to reporters on Monday (25/5).
The lawmaker highlighted that the two-day power outage across Sumatra has been incredibly detrimental to the public. He stressed the importance of determining whether the incident involved any criminal elements or negligence.
“We need a clear explanation because this incident has affected millions of people. Countless activities, jobs, and businesses were halted, resulting in financial losses reaching billions of rupiah,” Sahroni explained.
He further insisted on accountability, adding, “Investigate any indications of criminal activity, as this is a fatal occurrence. There must be accountability for this failure.”
As the Treasurer General of the NasDem Party, Sahroni believes that a firm and transparent explanation is crucial to quell the growing speculation and rumors circulating on social media regarding the cause of the outage.
“Currently, social media is rife with public theories and wild rumors. These must be addressed with real facts and findings from the field to prevent further public unrest and confusion,” Sahroni concluded.
Allegedly Triggered by Severe Weather
Bareskrim Polri has been actively investigating the source of the power outage that struck several regions across Sumatra on Friday (22/5). The primary focus of the probe is the disturbance at the 175-176 SUTET transmission points located in Tempino Village, Muaro Jambi Regency.
The Deputy Head of Bareskrim, Inspector General Nunung Syaifuddin, revealed that investigators found evidence of a broken transmission cable. This failure was reportedly triggered by extreme weather, which caused instability in the frequency and voltage of the electricity supply, leading to a chain reaction of power plant trips.
“The disturbance resulted in frequency and voltage instability, which subsequently triggered a series of trips across power plants. This led to a mass blackout across several Sumatran regions, including Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Riau, Jambi, and parts of South Sumatra,” Nunung stated during a press conference on Monday (25/5).
He further confirmed that the joint Bareskrim team was present at the suspected origin of the failure. “The team is on-site at the transmission towers in Tempino Village, Mestong District, Muaro Jambi. We have confirmed the presence of a snapped transmission cable,” he added.
Summary
Ahmad Sahroni, Deputy Chairman of Commission III of the DPR RI, has urged the National Police to conduct a thorough investigation into the recent massive blackout across Sumatra. The National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) is currently inspecting transmission towers in Muaro Jambi to identify the root cause of the power failure. Sahroni emphasized the need for accountability and transparency due to the significant financial losses and widespread impact on public activities.
Preliminary investigations indicate that severe weather caused a transmission cable to snap, resulting in frequency instability and a series of power plant trips. The outage affected several provinces, including Aceh, North Sumatra, and Riau, disrupting the daily lives of millions of residents. Authorities are working to determine whether the incident involved any criminal elements or negligence to address public speculation and ensure future reliability.