Even Though The PLN Office Is Locked Down Because There Are Directors Who Are Exposed To COVID-19, Erick Thohir Asks For The PLN Meeting To Continue Virtual

SOE Minister Erick Thohir. (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - SOE Minister Erick Thohir revealed that although the Head Office of PT PLN (Persero) had to do a lockdown after a member of the board of directors was exposed to COVID-19, the meeting on the need for domestic energy supplies must continue.

"So tomorrow we will decide on a few more virtual meetings because I happen to understand that there is nothing to do about the lockdown due to COVID, but our goal is also good that Mr. Arifin Tasrif (Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources/ESDM) went down to see the detailed shipping data, where is the logistics point, how much is needed", Erick said in a written statement received in Jakarta, reported by Antara on Tuesday, January 5.

He explained that SOEs support government policies related to energy supply for domestic needs.

"SOEs support government policies to ensure the availability of domestic supplies is a priority", said Erick.

Erick even called the directors of PLN, PT Bukit Asam (PTBA), and Pertamina on the evening of Monday, January 3 just to ensure there is cooperation and continuity and not to prioritize sectoral egos in dealing with the current situation.

"I also agree that private parties who are not disciplined like the president's statement should be punished, even revoked, but also don't generalize if something is good and then generalize this is all wrong, no. That's why the solution is not blaming each other, but working together to solve problems", he said.

In the future, the SOE Minister asks for a long-term contract related to DMO that can be adjusted every month, not annually.

Erick also considered the need for anticipation of obstacles in weather conditions that could affect coal supply. Erick admitted that he had summoned the directors of PT Bukit Asam and asked for another long-term agreement between PTBA and PLN.

"So the 25 percent contract will be allocated to PTBA, but the calculation is indeed a cost-plus, meaning that we will open the figures so that if there is a shock like the current reservation at PTBA, it can be used", said Erick.

The current situation, he continued, is momentum for Indonesia to start mapping out renewable energy in a big way into the future. There needs to be a big mapping in this regard.

The SOE minister said Indonesia had large contracts in coal, nickel, tin, LNG, which required communication with other countries.

"Don't let other countries see Indonesia as unprofessional, still everything must communicate, and other countries, God willing, will support it, as long as it's not stopped annually, if it's just a 20-day delay, they'll be full. What's important is that we don't blame each other, we go down according to the president's instructions. we have to solve the problem", said Erick.