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Grid infrastructureIndonesiaEIR-2181

Transformer fire at Gambir Baru substation cuts power in Jakarta

Jan 2020Published 9 Oct 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

SignificantThermal / fireProvisional
Estimated damageModelled by the register's adjusterHow? Know the real figure?
Figure hidden: shown to subscribersMedium confidence
supply cut for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate
From the recordRoot cause hiddenFailed part hidden

Companies named in this entry: PT PLN

What happened

A fire broke out at about 06:30 on Monday 13 January 2020 at the Gambir Baru substation in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta. The General Manager of PT PLN (Persero) Parent Unit Distribution (UID) Jakarta said it was the first fire of this kind at the site. The fire affected only transformer 1. The substation has three transformers, and the other two did not catch fire and were used to carry the load.

PLN diverted the power source away from the substation, and supply was normalised by 08:46. The fire caused power outages in Sunter, Cempaka Mas, Kemayoran, Kelapa Gading and surrounding areas. The cause was still under investigation at the time of reporting.

Contributing factors

Not confirmed. The cause was under investigation at the time of reporting.

Lessons learned

  1. A single transformer fire can cut supply to a wide area, so substations should have enough spare transformer capacity to carry the load when one unit fails.
  2. Load transfer to other sources or substations allowed supply to be restored about two hours after the fire began, while the fault was investigated.
  3. Substations with several transformers can keep the rest of the station in service when one unit is isolated after a fire, so the isolation arrangements for each unit are worth checking.

More lessons on outages, backup supply and restoration, electrical protection and isolation, from every incident on the register.

Source

en.tempo.co

Other entries that name Jakarta

Published 2026-10-09. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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