Batam blackout may have been caused by lightning, bat interference: Minister

SINGAPORE: Lightning-related disruptions and an animal intruder in the power grid could have caused a massive blackout in Batam and other parts of the Riau Islands, affecting businesses, communications and water supply, an Indonesian minister said on Wednesday (Oct 14).

The widespread power outage began at around 6.30am local time on Monday, affecting Batam as well as the city of Tanjung Pinang and Bintan. Indonesian news outlet Detik reported that the outage lasted for around 16 hours.

The blackout is estimated to have caused economic losses of around 233.5 billion rupiah (US$13 million), according to the Batam branch of the Indonesian Economists Association (ISEI).

Coordinating Minister for Downstreaming and Energy Transition Bahlil Lahadalia said he had received reports of several technical problems affecting electricity network operations in the area.

“There were several technical problems in the Batam area, and some networks had trouble because of lightning," Lahadalia told reporters on Wednesday, as quoted by Indonesian media outlets.

An animal, possibly a bat, was also suspected of contributing to the disruption, Bahlil said, without providing further details on how it may have affected the network.

He said that the incident had drawn the government’s attention to the need to improve electricity services in the country, adding that repairs and maintenance should be stepped up in several regions.

Bahlil said the problems concerned the implementation of electricity services managed by the state-owned power company Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) and that further investigations would be required, based on the company’s technical evaluation. 

When asked about possible compensation for residents affected by the blackout, Bahlil said that he would discuss the matter with PLN first. 

The power outage on Monday disrupted traffic, airport operations, public services and clean water supplies, according to local media reports. 

In Batam, traffic lights at major intersections went out, causing traffic jams in key areas during the morning rush hour, according to the Jakarta Post. 

Several facilities were affected at the Hang Nadim International Airport, including air conditioning, baggage conveyors, internet connectivity and parking services, airport authorities said. 

Some municipal government applications were also temporarily inaccessible because of the power disruption.

According to Batam ISEI chairman Suyono Saputra, the outage not only brought business activities to a halt, but could also leave some companies facing additional costs incurred from restoring production processes, replacing damaged raw materials and operating generator.

“The preliminary estimate of financial losses incurred by businesses in the industrial and trade services sectors is around 233 billion rupiah … This does not include losses incurred by households,” he said on Tuesday, as quoted by Batampos. 

Separately, PLN also replaced its chief executive Darmawan Prasodjo, the company’s commissioner said on Thursday. It was unclear whether the change was related to the Batam blackout. The firm's ​former risk management director Suroso ​Isnandar replaced him as CEO.

The state-owned company has faced public scrutiny this year over a series of major power outages across the country, the Jakarta Post reported. 

In May, a blackout plunged much of Sumatra into darkness from the evening of May 22, with power fully restored two days later.