Energy Minister Bahlil Makes Surprise Visit to Coordinating Minister Airlangga's Office

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Bahlil Lahadalia was seen visiting the office of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs today, Thursday (18/6/2026). Bahlil was observed wearing a white shirt and black trousers.

Bahlil arrived at 10:30 WIB, and as of the writing of this report, there has been no official statement regarding the purpose of his visit to the office of Coordinating Minister Airlangga Hartarto. However, looking at Airlangga’s agenda, there is a meeting scheduled to discuss national electricity issues, which includes invitations to relevant ministers.

Previously, Minister Bahlil had spoken openly about the primary energy needs, specifically coal, for the steam-powered electricity plants (PLTU) owned by PT PLN (Persero). This addressed concerns regarding a shortage of coal stock for PLN’s power plants.

Bahlil explained that PLN’s annual coal requirement is 154 million tonnes. The government has tasked coal companies with supplying approximately 190 million tonnes. “Of that 190 million tonnes, 150-160 million tonnes have been confirmed. Contracts have been signed for 134 million tonnes, meaning that from PLN’s total requirement of 154 million tonnes, only 20 million tonnes remain uncontracted,” Bahlil stated during a working meeting with Commission XII of the House of Representatives (DPR) on Monday (15/6/2026).

To resolve this, Bahlil said that a meeting was recently held with PLN. It was revealed that PLN requires medium-grade coal, but the availability of this type of coal is decreasing daily. “Meanwhile, medium-grade coal is becoming increasingly scarce and its price is cheap, with a benchmark set at US$70 per tonne. However, the stripping ratio is above 10 to 12, meaning the selling price to PLN yields no profit for the company, and that is the trouble. This needs to be prioritised,” Bahlil explained.

Furthermore, under the direction of President Prabowo Subianto, a joint procurement team has been formed to resolve the primary energy issue. The team includes PLN, the Inspectorate General, the Directorate General of Minerals and Coal, and the Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP). “So that there is no deceit among us, let’s not keep deceiving each other,” Bahlil asserted.