PLN to Eliminate 2,139 Diesel Engines in PLTDs, Replace with Renewable Energy

PT PLN (Persero) has announced plans to eliminate 2,139 diesel engines used in diesel power plants (PLTD). These thousands of engines are located at 741 sites and will be replaced with power plants utilising new and renewable energy (EBT).

This was stated by the President Director of PT PLN (Persero), Darmawan Prasodjo, during a Hearing with Commission VII of the Indonesian House of Representatives in Jakarta on Monday, 13 February 2026.

“PLN has also planned to reduce fuel oil consumption in the electricity sector at 741 PLTD locations, with a total of around 2,139 diesel engines,” said Darmawan.

He explained that reducing PLTDs is PLN’s strategy to increase energy resilience and lower energy costs. PLTDs that still rely on diesel fuel oil must be reduced as quickly as possible. Moreover, Darmawan believes that fuel oil is currently an expensive form of energy.

“The use of energy that is still based on imports and expensive energy, namely fuel oil, must be reduced by us in the short and medium term,” he added.

In addition, replacing PLTDs with EBT power plants will transform imported dirty energy into clean, locally based energy. The replacements planned by Darmawan will come from micro-hydro power plants (PLTMH).

PLTMH is a small-scale power plant that utilises the potential energy of water (rivers/waterfalls) to drive turbines and generators. “If there is no (micro-hydro), then we design and build solar power plants (PLTS) equipped with battery energy storage systems (BESS),” said Darmawan.

It was previously reported that President Prabowo Subianto has directed the acceleration of converting diesel power plants (PLTD) to solar power plants (PLTS) amid high oil prices.

Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto, after a limited meeting with President Prabowo Subianto at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Thursday (19/3) afternoon, stated that this step is requested to be calculated and realised immediately.

Airlangga said that in its implementation, the Danantara Investment Management Agency (BPI) has been tasked with resolving various issues related to the PLTDs. “Danantara has been tasked with resolving the problems of those PLTDs,” he said.