Jakarta, September 13, 2002, 6pm. The power supply, key to the dynamics of modern life, suddenly died. Blackness enveloped Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang, and Bekasi (Jabotabek). More than 4.5 million subscribers were left in the dark. There were traffic jams everywhere; stalled electric trains left hundreds of thousands of commuters stranded.

On that fateful day, technical problems at the main powerhouse with extra-high electricity in Cibinong c