House Member: Government Guarantees Coal Supply, PLN Must Evaluate Contract Management

A member of Commission XII of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Jamaludin Malik, has called on PT PLN (Persero) to immediately undertake improvements in contract management, distribution, and coal logistics to ensure the reliability of the national electricity supply.

According to him, the government, through the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), has performed its duties to the maximum by guaranteeing the availability of coal supplies for national power plant needs.

Jamaluddin expressed his appreciation for the swift actions taken by the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Bahlil Lahadalia, in responding to the occurrence of rolling blackouts in several regions. He noted that the Minister’s statements clarified that while the government performs its regulatory and primary energy supply guarantee functions, the operational aspects of electricity remain the responsibility of PLN as the system operator.

According to Jamaludin, data provided by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources shows that PLN’s coal requirement for 2026 is approximately 154 million tonnes.

To meet this demand, the Directorate General of Mineral and Coal (Minerba) has assigned national mining companies through the Domestic Market Obligation (DMO) scheme to provide between 180 and 190 million tonnes, which is well above PLN’s requirements.

“The data presented by the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources is very clear. PLN’s requirement is around 154 million tonnes, while the Directorate General of Minerba has assigned supplies of up to 180 to 190 million tonnes. Of that amount, only about 134 million tonnes have been contracted. This means the issue is not the availability of national coal, but rather how the supply allocated by the government can be promptly contracted, distributed, and delivered to power plants as needed,” Jamaludin stated in a written briefing on Monday, 22 June 2026.

He explained that the current obstacles are largely related to technical aspects, including the need for medium-calorific coal required for the blending process at several PLN power plants.

In this regard, Jamaludin appreciated the steps taken by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and the Directorate General of Minerba to ensure that several medium-calorific coal suppliers immediately dispatch their supplies to power plant locations, particularly in the Java region.

Additionally, Jamaludin noted that two large power plant units are currently undergoing maintenance, which has reduced the available capacity of the Java, Madura, and Bali electricity system.