The Directorate of Environmental and Forest Crimes (Tipidter) of the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim Polri) has launched a thorough investigation into the cause of a widespread power outage that affected several regions across Sumatra on Friday, May 22. Investigators are slated to visit the precise point of disruption involving the High Voltage Air Connection (SUTET) 175-176 in Tempino Village, Muara Jambi Regency, to gather crucial evidence.
Brigadier General Mohammad Irhamni, Director of Tipidter Bareskrim Polri, confirmed the deployment of a specialized team to the designated SUTET 175-176 fault line. He emphasized that this investigative effort will involve close collaboration with the Bareskrim Forensic Laboratory Center (Puslabfor Bareskrim) and PLN, Indonesia’s state electricity company, to meticulously inspect the location and determine the underlying cause of the incident.
Severed Conductor Cable Under Forensic Examination
In a significant development, Irhamni revealed that the severed conductor cable, considered vital evidence, has been collected and transported for in-depth analysis. Experts from Puslabfor Bareskrim and PLN’s Research and Development division will conduct a comprehensive examination of the cable to ascertain the factors leading to its breakage. Currently, investigators report that no indications of deliberate human action have been discovered in connection with the cable’s failure.
Providing further context, Darma Saputra, Manager of Communication and TJSL for PLN’s North Sumatra regional unit, had previously attributed the power outage to a disruption in the 275 kV Muara Bungo-Sungai Rumbai transmission line located in Bungo Regency, Jambi Province. This particular disruption was reportedly caused by adverse weather conditions. The extensive blackout impacted numerous areas, including North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Aceh, Lampung, and South Sumatra, before power was successfully restored on Sunday, May 24, around 05:07 AM Western Indonesian Time.
Summary
The Directorate of Environmental and Forest Crimes (Tipidter) of the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department has launched a thorough investigation into the widespread power outage that affected several regions across Sumatra. A specialized team has been deployed to the SUTET 175-176 fault line in Tempino Village, Muara Jambi Regency, to gather crucial evidence. This investigative effort involves close collaboration with Bareskrim Forensic Laboratory Center and PLN to determine the underlying cause of the incident.
A severed conductor cable, considered vital evidence, has been collected for in-depth forensic analysis by experts from Puslabfor Bareskrim and PLN. Investigators currently report no indications of deliberate human action in connection with the cable’s failure. The extensive blackout, which impacted North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Aceh, Lampung, and South Sumatra, was previously attributed by PLN to adverse weather conditions affecting the 275 kV Muara Bungo-Sungai Rumbai transmission line, before power was fully restored on Sunday, May 24.