Editorial
When populist price caps collide with soaring global markets, resource nationalism doesn't protect the public—it just leaves them in the dark.
A technician from state electricity company PLN stands atop a transmission tower during regular maintenance work on Dec. 27, 2023, in Palu, Central Sulawesi.
(Antara/Basri Marzuki)
Indonesia, the world's largest coal exporter, currently finds itself in a striking paradox: rolling electricity blackouts are hitting Java, the nation's economic heartland, following disruptions at two major coal-fired power plants.While the government and state electricity monopoly PLN have rejected any direct link between these blackouts and coal supply constraints, reality on the ground suggests otherwise, raising uncomfortable questions about the resilience of the national energy system.
