Prabowo’s ambitious vows of energy and food security have yet to materialise in actionable, short-term rules. — The Jakarta Post
JAKARTA: President Prabowo Subianto kicked off his term with promises to make Indonesia less dependent on fuel and food imports by ramping up renewable energy supply and building agricultural estates, sparking hope but also scepticism as predecessors have tried the same, and failed.
One hundred days into his presidency, Prabowo’s ambitious vows of energy and food security have yet to materialise in actionable, short-term rules, with the administration’s stance on the energy transition and agricultural self-sufficiency described as lacking clear direction.
At the last Group of 20 meeting, Prabowo outlined an ambitious plan to phase out all coal and fossil fuel power plants within 15 years and to develop over 75 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity, but experts said that plan lacks details.
“Specifically, we question how to achieve the target of 23% renewables in the energy mix in 2025 and achieve 100% renewable energy in the next 10 years,” Fabby Tumiwa, executive director of the Institute for Essential Services Reform, said.
So far, the government has been focusing on long-term targets, pushing for state-owned electricity company PLN’s latest Electricity Procurement Business Plan (RUPTL), for instance, to be dominated by renewables.
“The government must prepare more strategic planning, like expediting the establishment of nine GW of renewable energy capacity this year,” Fabby said.
Investors eagerly await the release of the new RUPTL, which was meant to be published last year under then-president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s leadership but has yet to materialise. Fabby urged the government to immediately turn its commitment into actionable regulations and integrate them into various energy policies.
“The National Electricity Master Plan, for example, still maintains the net-zero 2060 target instead of 2050 and peak emissions in 2035 instead of 2030, which is inconsistent with what the President has said. — The Jakarta Post/ANN
