Jakarta (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Downstreaming and Energy Transition Bahlil Lahadalia said suspected causes of the blackout in Batam, Riau Islands, included lightning-related disruptions to the power network and an animal that may have interfered with the grid.
Lahadalia said he had received reports of several technical problems affecting electricity network operations in the area.
“There are several technical problems in the Batam area, and some networks had trouble because of lightning, according to them. And there was a technical error, roughly like that,” Lahadalia told reporters at the Presidential Palace Complex on Wednesday.
He added that an animal was also suspected of contributing to the disruption, possibly a bat. However, he did not provide details about the sequence of events or explain how the animal might have caused the blackout.
“Technically there are three, and one of them, they say, is an animal or something, a bat or something (that causes the disruption), maybe like that,” Lahadalia said.
He stressed that the incident had become a government concern and underscored the need to improve electricity services. He said repairs and maintenance needed to be intensified in several regions.
According to him, the issue lay in the implementation of electricity services managed by state-owned power company PLN and required further investigation based on the company’s technical evaluation.
Asked about possible compensation for residents affected by the blackout, Lahadalia said he would discuss the matter with PLN first.
“I will discuss it first with PLN, because PLN knows best technically how implementation works in the field,” he added.
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Translator: Maria, Kenzu
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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