Coal Supply Begins Flowing to Java's Coal-Fired Power Plants, PLN Accelerates System Recovery

PT PLN (Persero) has begun restoring the electricity system on Java after medium-calorie coal supplies required by a number of coal-fired power plants (PLTU) started being distributed to various strategic plants. PLN President Director Darmawan Prasodjo stated that the government’s allocation of medium-calorie coal is a crucial step to accelerate the normalisation of the electricity system, which had experienced disruptions. “We appreciate the support from the government, in this case Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia, the Directorate General of Electricity, and the Directorate General of Minerals and Coal. With the allocation of medium-calorie coal and the directive from the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, PLN will carry out various improvements so that the electricity supply process can run smoothly,” Darmawan said in a press statement on Friday evening. According to him, medium-calorie coal supplies are now flowing to PLN-owned PLTUs and plants owned by Independent Power Producers (IPPs) that are part of the Java electricity system. For western Java, supplies have begun to be distributed to PLTU Lontar, PLTU Labuan, PLTU Suralaya Units 1 to 5, PLTU Jawa 7, PLTU Jawa 9 and 10, and PLTU Indramayu. Meanwhile, in eastern Java, supplies are starting to flow to PLTU Paiton Units 1 and 2, PLTU Paiton Unit 9, PLTU Rembang, PLTU Pacitan, and PLTU Tanjung Awar-Awar. Darmawan said PLN is also accelerating the contract signing process with coal suppliers who have received assignments from the government. This step is taken to ensure the primary energy supply to the plants can be met immediately. He added that PLN continues to coordinate intensively with the Directorate General of Minerals and Coal to expedite the contract and coal distribution process to the plants. In addition to the coal supply issue, PLN is also addressing technical disruptions at two large IPP-owned plants that had previously gone offline from the Java electricity system. PLN, together with the plant partners, is currently deploying technical teams to accelerate the repair process so that both plants can resume operations promptly. With the inflow of coal supplies to various PLTUs and the ongoing plant recovery process, PLN expects the Java electricity system to recover gradually.