Indonesia Coal Crisis, Erick Thohir Asks PLN And PTBA Cooperation To Be Extended

Minister of SOEs, Erick Thohir. (Photo: Doc. Ministry of SOEs)

JAKARTA - Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Erick Thohir asked that the cooperation contract between PT PLN (Persero) and PT Bukit Asam (Persero) or PTBA regarding coal supply could be extended. The demand follows the scarcity of coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the country.

Furthermore, Erick admitted that he had summoned the directors of PT PLN and PTBA to discuss the long-term cooperation agreement.

"So that 25 percent of the contract can be allocated to PTBA, but the calculation is indeed a cost plus. This means that we will open the figures, so that if there is a shock like the current reserve at PTBA, it can be used," he said in a written statement. , quoted Wednesday, December 5th.

As is known, in September last year, PLN noted that it would secure long-term coal from the state-owned mining company. The steps were taken to ensure the reliability of national electricity and overcome fluctuations in commodity prices. Fears of a shortage or a coal crisis are real.

Therefore, Erick assessed, the current situation is a momentum for Indonesia to start mapping out renewable energy on a large scale in the future. Erick said the big mapping in this regard was very important.

According to Erick, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has also launched a new renewable energy Power Supply Business Plan (RUPTL) that must be followed by all parties.

In addition, Erick admitted that he had contacted the directors of PT Pertamina (Persero), PTBA, and PLN to ensure that there was continuous cooperation in overcoming the scarcity of these resources.

"So tomorrow we will decide on a few more virtual meetings, because I happen to understand that there is nothing to do with the lockdown (PLN) due to COVID-19, but our goal is also good that Pak Arifin and I came down to see detailed data on shipping- The point is, where is the logistics located, what are the needs," he said.