Indonesia says PLN coal supply remains secure despite blackouts

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia has assured that coal supplies for state utility PLN remain secure despite recent power outages.

He noted that recent power outages were primarily caused by PLN's operational and power distribution issues, not a shortage of coal supply for the power plants.

"I urge PLN to immediately take measured and comprehensive steps to ensure customer satisfaction by preventing further blackouts," he said in an official statement received in Jakarta on Sunday.

Bahlil emphasized that the Indonesian government had already anticipated the fuel requirements for PLN's power plants by requiring domestic coal producers to meet their supply obligations.

He explained that PLN’s nationwide coal demand reaches 154 million tons annually.

To guarantee supply availability, the Indonesian government has allocated production mandates of 180 to 190 million tons to domestic coal producers—far above the utility's national requirements.

The minister affirmed that he had communicated with PLN President Director Darmawan Prasodjo to ensure corrective measures are implemented as quickly as possible

Bahlil urged PLN to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of its operational systems and enhance mitigation efforts to prevent similar disruptions in the future.

He stressed that the government has taken the necessary steps, both on the regulatory side and energy supply guarantee. Therefore, technical implementation on the ground must now be a primary focus of the state power utility.

Previously, PLN President Director Darmawan Prasodjo explained that the power outages were caused by technical issues at two major power plants in Java owned and operated by PLN partners.

"Specifically, two independent power producer plants experienced technical glitches and were forced to go offline from the Java grid," he said.

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Translator: Khaerul Izan, Raka Adji

Editor: M Razi Rahman

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