Indonesia’s tower collapse raises questions over grid resilience in renewable push
The collapse of 12 transmission towers in Indonesia’s North Sumatra region has triggered fresh concerns over the resilience of power infrastructure in fast-growing renewable energy markets.
Indonesia-based think tank Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) said the incident exposed structural weaknesses in the country’s transmission network, particularly as the affected 275 kV Galang–Simangkuk extra high voltage (EHV) line had entered operation only in 2019 under the Sumatra Electricity Toll Road project.
The tower failures caused rolling blackouts across Medan and nearby regions. Along the 275 kV corridor, three towers collapsed and two suffered deformation, while seven towers on a separate 150 kV line were also damaged.
IESR said attributing the incident solely to severe weather was insufficient, arguing that modern transmission systems are designed to withstand heavy rainfall, lightning, and strong winds common in tropical regions.
The organisation called for an independent technical investigation into possible design flaws, construction weaknesses, material degradation, and systemic planning gaps.
The incident comes as Indonesia plans large-scale renewable energy integration over the next five years. IESR warned that transmission resilience could become a critical bottleneck if climate-related risks are not incorporated into grid planning standards.
The think tank has urged the Indonesian government to formulate a National Grid Resilience Strategy and introduce climate resilience indicators as key performance indicators (KPIs) for state utility PLN alongside conventional reliability metrics such as System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) and System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI).
The episode also highlights a broader challenge facing emerging economies expanding transmission infrastructure to support energy transition goals. Large-scale renewable integration increasingly depends not only on generation capacity, but also on the ability of transmission systems to withstand extreme weather events.
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