"The major blackout that occurred on Aug 4 is called as a 'blackout 4.0'," House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Fadli Zon noted in a statement that ANTARA received here on Saturday on the power outage that had affected several people and business entities.
This so-called "blackout 4.0" has indicated that PLN's digital and other infrastructure are so fragile that they may get paralyzed easily, Zon who is also the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party's deputy chairman, stated.
Related news: Key takeaways from Sunday's blackout for ensuring energy security
He deplored the major blackout that had compelled several affected people to use candles to light their homes, calling to view this incident from a broader perspective by, for instance, relating it to the concept of Industrial Revolution (IR) 4.0.
The IR 4.0 that the government has been echoing over these past years will hold no ground without the availability of electricity since it is related to basic services, such as fuels," he stated.
Hence, the sustainability of electricity power-related infrastructure should be guaranteed to ensure this basic service for society can be fulfilled, he emphasized.
Sunday's major blackout that hit the areas of Jakarta, Banten, West Java, Central Java, and East Java has been nothing short of a nightmarish experience for scores of Indonesians and foreign travelers.
On that day, power outage disrupted the Indonesian capital city's commuter line and MRT services, majorly hindering the people's mobility.
This Sunday's major blackout also affected the business activities of several small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that were not equipped with generators to supply electricity.
Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, spokesman of the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party leader Prabowo Subianto, expressed concern over the impact of this major power outage on SMEs' businesses.
Related news: Blackout causes Rp507 million financial dent to MRT
State-owned electricity firm PT PLN (Persero) has extended its apology over Sunday's major blackout. PLN claimed that it was caused by the trips on the Suralaya Turbine Gas from number 1 to 6, while its turbine gas number 7 was off.
Simultaneously, the Cilegon Gas Turbine Combined-Cycle (GTCC) Power Plant also experienced a trip or error. As a result, the power outage hit residents living in Jakarta's greater areas.
The major blackout also hit those residing in West Java Province's areas due to troubles experienced in the 500 kV Ultrahigh Voltage Transmission. The affected areas comprise Bandung, Bekasi, Cianjur, Cimahi, Cirebon, Garut, Karawang, Purwakarta, Majalaya, Sumedang, Tasikmalaya, Depok, Gunung Putri, Sukabumi, and Bogor. Related news: Indonesia needs electricity reserves: Energy watch
Related news: PLN to compensate millions affected by major blackout: ministry
EDITED BY INE
Translator: M Razi Rahman, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
