PLN Chief Meets Prabowo at Palace, Reports Progress on Java Rolling Blackouts
President Director of PT PLN (Persero) Darmawan Prasodjo, along with the management team, visited the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on Monday afternoon (22/6). Their visit aimed to deliver a report to President Prabowo Subianto regarding the progress in handling the rolling blackouts that had occurred on Java Island.
Before meeting the President, Darmawan explained that the electricity system condition on Java Island was showing a trend of improvement. According to him, the recovery efforts undertaken meant that the rolling blackouts which occurred last week could now be significantly reduced starting from Sunday (21/6).
“We want to deliver the good news that the rolling blackouts which occurred last week on Java Island, starting yesterday Sunday, the condition of the electricity system on Java Island began to improve and the rolling blackouts were successfully minimised,” said Darmawan.
The statement was delivered by Darmawan ahead of his meeting with President Prabowo Subianto at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta.
He revealed that the improvement in Java’s electricity system was inseparable from the availability of primary energy supplies that matched the operational needs of power plants, both those owned by PLN and plants owned by partners or independent power producers (IPP). This condition is considered capable of strengthening the resilience of electricity supply in the Java region.
In addition, one large-capacity plant belonging to a PLN partner that had previously experienced a technical disruption was also successfully restored. The plant was re-synchronised with the Java electricity system on Sunday night and began operating again to support power supply.
According to Darmawan, the re-entry of this plant into the system provided an important additional power supply for the stability of the grid in Java.
He explained that previously there were two large plants belonging to PLN partners that experienced technical disruptions, forcing them to be taken out of the system. To overcome this issue, PLN together with its partners immediately deployed technical teams to carry out repairs.
“Last week we immediately deployed PLN teams together with our partners to carry out repairs. And there is good news, last night one large plant was successfully restored and synchronised with the electricity system in Java and began supplying power to the Java system,” he said.
On this occasion, Darmawan also conveyed an apology to the public affected by the rolling blackouts over the past few days.
Not only focusing on restoring the disrupted plants, PLN is also improving the governance of the primary energy supply chain. In addition, operational strengthening is being carried out at both PLN-owned plants and those managed by IPP partners.
Darmawan emphasised that PLN continues to monitor the electricity system condition intensively 24 hours a day. This step is taken to maintain the reliability of electricity supply while anticipating potential disruptions that could affect the electricity system on Java Island.
PLN also expressed appreciation for the government’s support during the recovery process. In particular, the company thanked the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Bahlil Lahadalia, energy suppliers, and partner power plants who contributed to maintaining the stability of the national electricity supply.
“We ask for prayers and support from the entire community so that our all-out efforts can be facilitated and run smoothly. And we appreciate once again the support from the government, the cohesiveness of all our partners, both from suppliers and partner plants, so that together we maintain reliability so that energy provision in the future can run smoothly,” he said.