National Coal Supply Secure, Legislator Applauds Government's Swift Action to Support PLN Power Plants
Member of the House of Representatives Commission XII from the Golkar Party, Alfons Manibui, has voiced concern for communities in Java and surrounding areas affected by recent electricity disruptions, hoping for a swift restoration of normal activities. He also expressed appreciation and gratitude to Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia and his staff, particularly the Directorate General of Mineral and Coal, for their rapid coordination and measures to secure coal supplies for PLN’s power plants.
“We extend our concern to the communities affected by the electricity disruptions. We also continue to encourage and hope that the recovery process can be carried out quickly and thoroughly so that electricity services to the public can return to normal,” Alfons stated, as quoted from a press release on Tuesday (23/6).
Based on the results of oversight and coordination between Commission XII, the government, and energy sector stakeholders, Alfons confirmed that the national coal supply for power generation is currently in a safe condition. He explained that the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, through the Directorate General of Mineral and Coal, has set a Domestic Market Obligation allocation of 212 million tonnes for 2026, a figure that exceeds PLN’s requirements and demonstrates serious anticipation of national power plant needs through measured policy.
“From a policy and supply allocation perspective, government support is very adequate. The needs of national power plants have been anticipated through the DMO assignment stipulated in the mining companies’ work plans and budgets,” he explained. Alfons noted that current challenges relate more to the need for medium-calorie coal for blending with existing stock at several PLN plants, as well as the need to accelerate distribution to plant locations to meet operational requirements on time and according to specifications.
“The obstacle is not that coal is unavailable. What is needed now is the fulfilment of specific coal specifications for the blending process and the acceleration of distribution to the plant sites. We appreciate the swift steps taken by the Ministry of ESDM and its ranks, as well as related partners, who have ensured that supplier companies immediately dispatch coal according to the needs of the plants, especially in the Java system,” he continued. Alfons added that the disrupted electricity system was also influenced by technical issues at power plants, including units undergoing maintenance, which affected the system’s available capacity to adequately support public electricity demand. He stressed that this issue must be viewed as a shared challenge to be resolved comprehensively and objectively, with all parties working together to restore electricity services as a basic public need. He also emphasised that national electricity reliability is determined not only by the adequacy of primary energy and plant readiness, but also by the readiness of the transmission system, substations, and networks, which must function as a single integrated system.