Minister Luhut Instructs BPPT to Audit Blackout Incident

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan will instruct the Technology Assessment and Implementation Agency (BPPT) to conduct an audit on the blackout that occurred in the Jakarta area, West Java, and Banten province on Sunday, August 4, 2019.

"We will ask BPPT to do an audit on [Sunday's] incident," Luhut said at the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs office on Monday, August 5, 2019. Luhut refuses to make speculations on the event before receiving results of the audit. His action is in line with the instruction provided by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo who requested for an evaluation concerning the incident.

Based on the results of the audit, Luhut predicted that there will be several recommendations. One of which he predicted will be related to the suggestion made by Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi to construct a power plant dedicated to strategic transportation facilities.

"Maybe results of the audit can [point that way]. With the 4.0 technology [revolution], and then there's the startups, it was depressing [to have] six hours blackout. I think it should not happen," Luhut added.

Previously, a blackout occurred on Sunday, August 4, 2019, starting at 11:48 AM Western Indonesia Time until close to midnight in areas across West Java and Banten. The incident was triggered with a number of disruptions on the Extra High Voltage Overhead Transmission (Saluran Udara Tegangan Extra Tinggi – SUTET) spanning from Ungaran to Pemalang.

General Manager of PLN Main Voltage Regulator Unit Edwin Nugraha Putra explained that the recent blackout is categorized as 'N minus 3' event. He explained that 'N minus 3' means that there are 3 (three) disruptions. Edwin said that 2 (two) electrical circuit along the Pemalang-Ungaran transmission lines were experiencing trouble. Meanwhile, on the southern area or Depok and Tasikmalaya there was one electricity circuit that was under repair.

HENDARTYO HANGGI