THE government cannot ignore the looming crisis of coal supplies threatening state electricity company PLN. There is a danger of sudden blackouts over the next three weeks because PLN only has 19 days of coal stocks, below the safety level of 20 days.

This shortage of coal, the fuel used in 50 percent of PLN’s 6,143 power plants, has continued since last year along with the rise in the price of coal. On the global market, coal is