ICW Urges PLN to Disclose Electricity and Coal Contracts

Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) is demanding that state electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) make public its power purchase agreements (PJBL) and coal supply contracts. ICW argues that citizens have a right to understand strategic decisions impacting their daily lives, especially amid ongoing issues in the electricity sector.

"Amid various problems in the electricity sector, the public needs to know important decisions that affect their daily lives," stated Wana Alamsyah, Head of ICW's Law and Investigation Division. ICW filed an information request with PLN on July 16, 2026, seeking access to PJBL documents that have been inaccessible. This request stems from widespread blackouts, coal governance corruption cases, and a perceived lack of seriousness in the government's energy transition efforts.

Alamsyah highlighted the mass blackouts in July 2026 as evidence of systemic problems within the electricity system. He also pointed to coal corruption cases as indicators of serious governance issues in the energy sector, including transparency, accountability, and oversight. Furthermore, ICW contends that the government has not backed its energy transition promises with concrete, transparent actions, citing the cancellation of early retirement plans for the Cirebon coal-fired power plant (PLTU) and a lack of clarity on other planned retirements.

ICW's 2025 report, "Energy Transition in a Transparency Crisis," concluded that information secrecy could foster conflicts of interest in early retirement policies and create opportunities for corruption in selecting power plants for retirement and in compensation payments. Alamsyah noted that early retirement of PLTUs involves significant financial transactions, with funding needs estimated by the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) at $27.5 billion, or nearly Rp500 trillion. Therefore, he stressed, transparency is an absolute requirement for PLN, in accordance with Indonesia's Law on Public Information Disclosure.