Jakarta. The National Energy Council (DEN) warned on Sunday that the country's heavy dependence on the aging Suralaya coal-fired power plant poses a significant risk to the national electricity system, cautioning that a major disruption at the facility could trigger widespread blackouts across Java and Bali and undermine investor confidence.

DEN member Satya Widya Yudha said the Suralaya complex in Banten remains the backbone of the interconnected Java-Madura-Bali power grid, making it one of Indonesia's most critical energy assets.

“A disruption at Suralaya could trigger blackouts across the system, including in East Java,” Satya said.

The Suralaya power station is Indonesia's largest coal-fired power complex and supplies a substantial share of electricity to the country's most economically important region.

The warning follows a recent inspection by the council, which found that generating capacity at Suralaya's seven operating units -- some of which have been in service for about 40 years -- has declined from an installed capacity of 3,600 megawatts to around 3,400 MW.

Earlier this week, several parts of Java experienced electricity outages lasting between two and five hours at different times of the day, raising fresh concerns about the resilience of the country's power network.

Satya said prolonged or poorly managed power disruptions could damage Indonesia's investment appeal, particularly for industries that require uninterrupted electricity supplies.

“Reliability is one of the key requirements for data centers,” he said. “These facilities consume enormous amounts of electricity. Investors could decide against locating in Indonesia if these issues are not properly managed.”

Indonesia has been promoting large-scale investment in data centers, artificial intelligence infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing, all of which depend on highly reliable power supplies.

According to National Energy Council data, the average annual duration of power outages improved to 0.77 hours in 2025. However, outage frequency increased from six incidents in 2024 to an average of 7.45 interruptions in 2025, indicating that while outages have become shorter, they are occurring more often.

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