BALINEWSID.COM, JAKARTA – Rolling blackouts across several provinces in Kalimantan have entered their sixth consecutive day, raising public concern as state-owned electricity company PT PLN (Persero) faces mounting calls to provide greater transparency over the prolonged power disruptions.

The outages, which began on Monday, June 22, have affected parts of South Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, including Palangka Raya, and several areas in East Kalimantan.

PLN has attributed the blackouts to operational problems within the Kalimantan interconnected power system, saying the disturbances have reduced electricity supply and forced the company to implement load management measures to maintain grid stability.

In a public notice, PLN’s Banjarmasin Customer Service Unit (UP3) said the rolling blackouts were necessary due to declining power generation caused by operational constraints affecting the interconnected network. As a result, parts of Banjarmasin experienced another round of scheduled outages on Thursday, June 25.

However, National Coordinator of Relawan Listrik untuk Negeri (Re-LUN), Teuku Yudhistira, argued that PLN’s explanation does not fully reflect the extent of the problems affecting the Kalimantan power system. He urged the utility to disclose the actual causes behind the prolonged outages.

“Based on the information we have collected, there are multiple factors contributing to the power crisis in Kalimantan, including coal supply issues,” Yudhistira said.

According to data compiled by Re-LUN, the power shortages stem from a combination of technical failures, fuel supply constraints, and maintenance work at several generating units. Among the reported problems are wet and clogged coal supplies at CFK Coal-Fired Power Plant (PLTU CFK), turbine bearing failures at Muara Jawa Power Plant, operational disruptions at Senipah Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (PLTGU Senipah), boiler and equipment failures at Indoeka Power Plant, limited coal availability at ITP Coal-Fired Power Plant, gas supply constraints at Bengkanai Gas Engine Power Plant (PLTMG Bengkanai), as well as several generating units undergoing scheduled maintenance and major inspections.

The cumulative reduction in generation capacity has forced PLN to continue implementing Manual Load Shedding (MLS). According to Re-LUN, East Kalimantan recorded total load shedding of 83.3 MW, all affecting public customers. Meanwhile, South and Central Kalimantan experienced total load shedding of 113.45 MW, comprising 100.65 MW for public customers and 12.80 MW for captive industrial users.

Yudhistira also questioned PLN’s long-promoted energy transition agenda, arguing that the current situation demonstrates the country’s continued dependence on coal-fired power plants.

“The reality is that Indonesia’s electricity system still relies heavily on coal-fired power plants. The problems occurring in Kalimantan are closely linked to coal supply, in addition to other technical issues,” he said.

He further claimed that internal instructions had been issued discouraging detailed public disclosure regarding the causes of the blackouts. Based on that allegation, Yudhistira called on PLN to be more transparent in communicating the actual condition of the power system to the public.

He also urged the government to take firm action if the allegations of poor corporate governance and lack of transparency prove to be true.

As of this report, PT PLN (Persero) had not publicly responded to Re-LUN’s allegations regarding transparency or the detailed list of technical issues cited by the organization.