Fact Check: Is PLN Planning a 3-Day Java-Bali Blackout?

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A poster containing an announcement from state electricity company PLN regarding plans for simultaneous power outages across most of Java and all of Bali has been circulating on Instagram [archive], Facebook, and YouTube.

The poster, which displays the logos of both the Danantara Indonesia investment agency and PLN, claims the blackouts are necessary for simultaneous network maintenance across these regions.

The targeted areas include West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, and Bali. It also explicitly noted that Banten and Jakarta are excluded.

However, did PLN actually announce simultaneous power outages across Java and Bali for the final week of June 2026?

FACT CHECK

Tempo verified the content by analyzing the visual elements, running the images through deepfake detection software, and cross-referencing the narrative with official statements. The investigation revealed that two versions of the circulating poster show clear signs of digital manipulation. Furthermore, PLN emphasized that it has no plans for simultaneous blackouts in Java and Bali for three full days.

Visual Inconsistencies and Deepfake Detection

The first poster exhibited several significant inconsistencies. The Danantara logo displayed differs from the official emblem. Additionally, the text contains a typo for the final day of the blackout, listing Wednesday, June 24, 2026, as June 22, 2026. The handles for PLN's official social media accounts were also incorrect, with the Facebook account written as PLN123 and the pln_id Instagram account listed as pln123_official.

Meanwhile, the second version of the poster showed evidence of synthetic manipulation. A scan using the AI or Not platform indicated a 99 percent probability that the image was machine-generated, pointing to OpenAI's GPT-4o model at 61 percent and Stable Diffusion at 26 percent. The Hive Moderation scanning tool corroborated these findings with a 99.9 percent confidence level, detecting GPT-generated imagery at 97.2 percent.

Through its official Facebook page, PLN strongly denied the circulating claims and urged the public to verify all information through the company's official communication channels.

"Beware of hoax information circulating regarding a total power outage for three days in the Java-Bali region. PLN continues to strive to provide the best electricity service for the public," PLN clarified in a Facebook post.

The Actual Cause of Recent Power Outages

A Tempo report indicates that the power outages in Java in recent weeks have occurred in rotating shifts, not simultaneously. These rolling blackouts began on June 8, 2026, and continue to affect several locations to this day.

PLN President Director Darmawan Prasodjo explained that the rolling outages were triggered by technical damage at a major power plant, which is currently undergoing repairs.

"One of the plants has been successfully restored. At 6:00 p.m., it was synchronized back into the Java electricity grid and began supplying power to improve system reliability," Darmawan stated during an online press conference on Sunday evening, June 21, 2026.

Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Minister Bahlil Lahadalia acknowledged that the power supply crisis was exacerbated by a shortage of medium-calorie coal for generation plants. Bahlil noted that several mining companies have been reluctant to sell the commodity to PLN because the domestic benchmark price is perceived to be well below market value.

CONCLUSION

Tempo's verification concluded that the claims made in the viral PLN announcement poster regarding simultaneous power outages in Java and Bali for three consecutive days are completely false.

TEMPO FACT CHECK TEAM

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