Jakarta’s energy plan may sideline renewables

Step back: A fisherman fishes with the Cirebon-1 power plant in the background in West Java. Without clearer policies, streamlined procurement and tools like joint transmission networks, investor confidence in Indonesia’s renewables will remain low. — Reuters

JAKARTA: The long-awaited 2025-2034 electricity business plan (RUPTL) could sideline renewable energy despite containing a huge amount of planned green power, as experts suggested the new power procurement plan was leaning toward repeating past mistakes and undermining energy transition commitments.

Dody Setiawan, senior analyst for climate and energy at think tank Ember, told The Jakarta Post on May 28 that the new RUPTL backloaded 72% of the planned 42.6 gigawatt (GW) of new and renewable energy projects to the second half of the 10-year procurement period.