Bahlil Reveals Root Cause of Rolling Blackouts in Java

The Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Bahlil Lahadalia, has assessed that coal quality is one of the main factors affecting the stability of PT PLN (Persero)’s electricity supply. This issue, Bahlil admitted, led to the rolling blackouts that occurred in Java recently.

“Upon checking, we found that there is a medium-grade coal with a calorific value above 5,000 required for blending. This is what is needed for power plant operations,” Bahlil stated in Jakarta on Thursday, 25 June 2026.

Because the coal quality currently falls below PLN’s requirements, Bahlil explained that a larger volume of coal must be used to generate the necessary electricity. He noted that the total annual coal requirement for PLN power plants is approximately 154 million metric tonnes (MT). Under the Domestic Market Obligation (DMO) regulations for exporters, PLN is entitled to receive up to 180-190 million MT from that total.

Bahlil stated that 141 million MT of coal has already been received by PLN. However, he received reports that the coal supply for electricity production had dwindled by June 2026.

“This means from 1 January to June, from 154 million minus 141 million, that leaves only 13 million. How can the coal run out by June? What kind of logic is this? To be honest, this implies something is wrong,” Bahlil remarked.

In his view, this issue should have been mitigated by PLN before impacting the wider public through the rolling blackouts that occurred recently. “The government provides the DMO; the technical execution lies with PLN and the companies. Do not wait until the water is at your throat before screaming,” Bahlil said.

He ensured that such incidents would not recur, as the government is focused on meeting domestic electricity needs. “Following the President’s direction, we do not want this to happen again. Operations have now returned to normal. We are currently withholding some coal that was intended for export to prioritise domestic needs first,” he added.

The government is also set to supervise the coal procurement process for PLN to prevent the recurrence of supply issues that could potentially threaten national energy security.