Energy Minister: Blackouts Due to Technical Issues, Not Coal Supply Shortage

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Bahlil Lahadalia has stated that the supply of coal to PT PLN (Persero) is secure. He confirmed that the blackouts occurred due to technical operational and distribution aspects, which are the responsibility of PLN. “I have asked PLN to immediately take measured, comprehensive steps to provide comfort to customers with no more blackouts,” Minister Bahlil said in an official statement received in Jakarta on Sunday. According to Bahlil, the blackout issue was not caused by a shortage of coal supply for power plants. He emphasised that the government, through the Directorate General of Minerals and Coal (Minerba), has anticipated the fuel needs of PLN’s power plants by assigning national coal companies. Bahlil explained that PLN’s national coal requirement reaches 154 million tonnes per year. To ensure supply availability, the government has assigned national coal companies to supply between 180 and 190 million tonnes, far exceeding the national requirement. “Technically, getting it to the power plant is not the task of the Directorate General of Minerals and Coal. That is a technical matter of PLN’s logistics management,” he stated. According to Bahlil, the problems that arose are more related to technical operational and distribution aspects, which are the responsibility of PLN.