President Prabowo Receives Progress Report on Downstream Industrial Development, Energy Security, National Electricity Stability
Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia delivers a press statement at the Presidential Palace Compound in Jakarta on Monday (06/22). (Photo by: BPMI of Presidential Secretariat)
President Prabowo Subianto summoned Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia and several ministers of the Red-and-White Cabinet to the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Monday (06/22).
Bahlil said that President Prabowo had received a report on the progress of the Government’s downstream industrial development programs, including the establishment of an electric vehicle battery ecosystem.
“We held a meeting with the President to evaluate the downstream industrial development program. Since several projects are already underway, we also reported to the President that our downstream development project for the electric vehicle battery ecosystem, carried out through cooperation between CATL and Antam, has been completed. It will be inaugurated at the end of July,” Bahlil said.
In addition to that, President Prabowo received a report on the condition of national energy security. He stated that the Government continues to ensure that the country’s energy supplies remain secure.
“We also discuss our energy situation. On average, our national energy reserves are sufficient for at least more than 20 days,” Bahlil said.
During the meeting, President Prabowo also discussed the continuity and reliability of electricity services for the public. The Minister said that the Government, together with state-owned electricity company PT PLN had evaluated several factors affecting electricity supply stability.
“The PLN’s total annual coal consumption amounts to 154 million tonnes. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has assigned companies to supply PLN with approximately 180 to 190 million tonnes [of coal], 134 million tonnes of which PLN has contracted the companies to supply,” he explained.
“Under the contracts between PLN and the suppliers, 134 million tonnes [of coal] have been secured for one year. We are now in the sixth month of the year, so there should not have been any issue. However, PLN explained that what it required was medium-calorific-value coal for blending purposes,” he continued.
He went on to say that the Government had taken measures to assist PLN in ensuring that electricity services to the public can operate properly. He also said that the Government had established a coal procurement team to prevent similar problems from recurring.
“We have confirmed that there are no longer any problems, and the Government has assisted PLN in carrying out its operations. More importantly, however, we have asked PLN to immediately conduct maintenance so that it can truly guarantee reliable services to the public,” Bahlil said, adding that from the regulator’s perspective, Bahlil expressed belief that this matter must be closely supervised because the Government does not want the same situation to continue.
“Therefore, I have established a team consisting of representatives from PLN, the Directorate General of Mineral and Coal, the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency, and the Inspectorate General,” he continued.
Regarding President Prabowo’s directives during the meeting, Bahlil said that the President had instructed the relevant ministries to immediately take measurable and well-targeted steps to ensure that electricity services to the public continued to operate optimally.
“President Prabowo instructed us to immediately ensure that measurable steps are taken to accelerate the necessary actions so that a similar situation does not happen again,” Bahlil said.
The meeting reaffirmed President Prabowo’s commitment to accelerating downstream industrial development, strengthening national energy security, and ensuring that all Indonesians have access to reliable electricity services as a foundation for sustainable economic growth and industrialization in Indonesia. (BPMI) (EST/TM)
