Bisnis.com, JAKARTA — The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) hopes that the Batang Toru Hydropower Plant (PLTA) project can still proceed. Eniya Listiani, Director General of New, Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation (EBTKE) at the ESDM Ministry, explained that the government is currently reviewing the revocation of the business license held by PT North Sumatra Hydro Energy (NSHE). NSHE is one of 28 companies whose business licenses were revoked by President Prabowo Subianto following floods and landslides in the Sumatra and Aceh regions; the company is alleged to have violated environmental regulations. Eniya could not confirm whether NSHE’s license and the management of the Batang Toru hydropower plant would be reinstated, but she expressed hope that the project could continue.
“Well, I certainly hope so; after all, I am in favor of increasing new and renewable energy (EBT), right?” said Eniya when met at the EBTKE Directorate General office in Jakarta on Tuesday (February 10, 2026). She also hopes the plant can reach its commercial operation date (COD) by the end of 2026. “Pray for it. So that it boosts the [renewable energy] mix,” she said. For context, NSHE is a joint venture (JV) currently constructing the 510-megawatt (MW) Batang Toru hydropower plant. Its shares are owned by a consortium of international investment firms—including parties from China and Singapore—and an energy sub-holding of PT PLN (Persero).
Specifically, the majority stake in NSHE (52.82%) is held by PT Dharma Hydro Nusantara. Meanwhile, 25% of the shares are held by PLN through PLN Nusantara Renewables, and 22.18% are held by Fareast Green Energy Pte. Ltd. Previously, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Bahlil Lahadalia stated he would review the possibility of reversing the revocation of NSHE’s business license. He noted that the Batang Toru Hydropower Plant (PLTA) was originally scheduled to reach its Commercial Operation Date (COD) in 2025. However, the process was delayed, pushing the target to the end of 2026. Given its renewable energy capacity of 510 MW, the Batang Toru Hydropower Plant is a project of significant interest; consequently, Bahlil intends to conduct a follow-up review regarding the license revocation. He indicated that if the review reveals the company has not violated any regulations, there is a possibility for operations to resume.
“Naturally, in-depth studies will be conducted, including a feasibility study (FS). We will assess the situation further once the review is complete,” said Bahlil at the Parliament Complex in Jakarta on Thursday (January 22, 2026). The hydropower plant, located on the Batang Toru River in South Tapanuli Regency, North Sumatra Province, is designed as a run-of-river (peaker) facility. With an investment value of US$1.67 billion—equivalent to IDR 28.33 trillion (based on an exchange rate assumption of IDR 16,967 per US$)—the Batang Toru Hydropower Plant is set to support approximately 15% of the Sumatra electricity system’s peak load and become one of the largest hydropower plants on the island. (*)
Source: Bisnis.com