PLN Claims Power Outages Decreasing After Generator Restoration

Indonesia's state electricity company, PT PLN (Persero), announced Sunday evening that one of two power generators causing rolling blackouts across Java has been restored. The generator successfully synchronized with the Java power grid at 6 p.m. local time, beginning to supply electricity and enhance system reliability.

Director Utama PLN Darmawan Prasodjo stated that the restored generator would help reduce the frequency of rolling blackouts in the coming days, though he did not provide a specific timeline for the complete end of the outages. He added that PLN is working to maintain and improve ongoing repairs.

The rolling blackouts affected various regions of Java from June 8 to June 21, 2026. Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia previously attributed the outages partly to a limited supply of medium-calorie coal for power plants. He explained that some mining companies were reluctant to supply PLN due to the significant price difference between the domestic market obligation (DMO) price and the market price.

Lahadalia noted that the DMO price for coal supplied to PLN is set at $70 per ton, while the benchmark coal price (HBA) for June 2026 reached $121.83 per ton for high-calorie coal and $84.53 per ton for medium-calorie coal. This price disparity makes it unprofitable for companies to supply coal to PLN, creating a shortfall. Additionally, PLN requires approximately 154 million metric tons of coal annually but has only secured contracts for 134 million tons, leaving a deficit of about 20 million tons.