Govt to complete coal RKAB approvals by March
Friday, February 27 2026 - 08:22 AM WIB
By Calvin Purba
The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) said it aims to complete approvals of coal miners’ 2026 Work Plans and Budgets (RKAB) by the end of March to ensure domestic coal supply, particularly for coal-fired power plants (PLTU), remains secure.
Director General of Minerals and Coal Tri Winarno said the RKAB approval process is still under way and is targeted for completion in March.
“It is still in process and will be completed soon—everything should be finalized in March. But companies must be proactive,” Tri Winarno said on the sidelines of the Iftar CoalMetal Asia 2026 event on Thursday (Feb. 27).
He noted that delays have partly been caused by several companies failing to respond promptly during the administrative review process.
“As long as the back-and-forth process runs smoothly, hopefully everything can be completed by the end of March,” he added.
Tri said coal supply for PLTU has been secured through March but warned of a potential deficit starting in April if no additional RKAB approvals are issued.
Read also : Coal producers urge transparent criteria for 2026 output cuts
“Based on current data, production in February and March is still above demand. April is when, if there is no increase in production, some deficits may occur,” he said.
Coal miners are required to obtain approved RKAB documents to carry out production activities. Due to delays in the 2026 approvals, the ministry has allowed miners to continue limited production at up to 25% of their planned output until the end of March 2026.
Private power producers have expressed concern over tightening coal supply for domestic power plants following the government’s plan to reduce the 2026 coal production quota to around 600 million tons, down from approximately 790 million tons produced last year.
Supply security concerns have intensified as coal stockpiles at PLTU have declined. Industry players report that the average coal days of operation (HOP) at power plants currently stands at around 10 days, significantly below the ideal minimum level of 25 days.
Joseph Pangalila, a supervisory board member of APLSI, warned that coal shortages could threaten national electricity reliability. He noted that independent power producers (IPPs) account for nearly 50% of Indonesia’s total power generation, making stable coal supply critical for system stability.
According to Joseph, supply constraints have persisted since late 2025 and have worsened as the 2026 RKAB approvals remain pending while production cuts are being planned.
Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak