Indonesia's Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said on September 16 that rolling power outages in parts of Kalimantan and Sulawesi were not linked to coal shortages or reduced mining quotas, attributing the disruptions mainly to lower hydropower generation caused by the El Nino weather pattern.

Bahlil said coal production quotas under the government's 2026 work plans and budgets, known as RKAB, were sufficient to meet domestic power generation needs. He said hydropower output in South Sulawesi had fallen to around 250 MW as water levels declined.

Indonesia's state utility PLN said several hydropower plants in Sulawesi, including Poso, Bakaru and Malea, had seen lower output. A 2x100 MW coal-fired plant in Jeneponto was also affected by a technical problem, while PLN was working to restore supply and expected the Sulawesi system to gradually return to balance by the end of September.

Bahlil's comments come as Indonesia reviews revisions to 2026 mining quotas amid concerns over coal supply and domestic power generation. The minister said coal supply for PLN was being closely monitored and that the current RKAB allocation was adequate.