PLN to Overhaul Primary Energy Supply Chain After Java Blackouts

PT PLN (Persero) has acknowledged the need to improve the governance of its primary energy supply chain after disruptions in coal supply and technical problems at power plants triggered rolling blackouts in several areas of Java last week. PLN Managing Director Darmawan Prasodjo said the company will conduct a thorough evaluation of the primary energy supply system to strengthen the reliability of the national electricity supply. “We are also improving the governance of the primary energy supply chain and strengthening power plants, both those owned by PLN and our partners, the Independent Power Producers (IPP),” Darmawan said in a press statement in Jakarta on Monday (22/6/2026). According to Darmawan, the condition of the Java electricity system began to improve on Sunday (21/6/2026) after primary energy supplies meeting the specifications required by the power plants began flowing to a number of facilities. In addition, a large generating unit owned by a PLN partner that had previously experienced technical problems was successfully restored and resumed supplying power to the Java system. He explained that when the disruption occurred, PLN faced layered pressures in the form of limited primary energy supplies that met plant specifications and the outage of two large power plants owned by private power producers due to technical issues. This condition reduced the reserve margin of the Java power system and forced PLN to implement rolling blackouts to maintain network stability. Darmawan apologised to the public for the inconvenience caused by the disruption. He confirmed that PLN is taking various corrective measures to improve energy supply resilience and plant reliability. “We are making all-out efforts 24 hours a day, seven days a week, both in monitoring and mapping all our efforts so that improvements to the reliability of the Java electricity system can be maintained and even enhanced,” he said. PLN also stated it will strengthen coordination with primary energy suppliers and partner power plants to anticipate the recurrence of similar disruptions in the future. The rolling blackouts last week have once again highlighted the importance of primary energy supply chain management in maintaining the reliability of the national electricity system. The dependence of power plants on coal supplies that meet specific requirements means that supply disruptions can directly affect power availability, especially in the Java system, which serves as the backbone of national electricity demand.