President Prabowo Encourages Indonesia Incorporated to Achieve Energy Security

President Prabowo Subianto Thursday (08/13) affirmed the importance of collaboration in utilizing the national strength to achieving energy security.

According to the President, the national economic must be strengthened collectively, regardless of the scale of the business.

“Today, I am calling on all of you to manifest ‘Indonesia Incorporated’. We must unite as one. The strong, the medium-sized, and smaller businesses must unite,” he said during the inauguration of the National Electric Motorcycle (Molinas) and its supporting ecosystem at the ALVA Production Facility in Cikarang, Bekasi regency, West Java province.

He went on to say that unity is necessary to improve Indonesia’s resilience in responding to global disruptions, particularly in the energy sector. The President expressed belief that dependence on energy imports can leave Indonesia vulnerable to the impact of conflicts and trade wars in other countries.

Indonesia, he added, has significant capital to achieve self-sufficiency, namely its abundant natural resources, which must be protected and managed properly to benefit the nation.

In energy security, the Government continue to accelerate the use of electricity across various sectors. According to the President, the electrification in transportation and industrial equipment can play a key role in reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

“Through the use of electric motorcycles and cars, electric buses, electric tractors, and electric-powered machines and equipment as many as possible, we will be more secure. We will be more prosperous,” he said

On that occasion, the President highlighted Indonesia’s substantial expenditure on imported fuel. He said that the foreign exchange spent on fuel imports stands to approximately US$28 billion to US$30 billion annually. Therefore, the Government is committed to reducing this dependence through various energy policies, including energy transition initiatives.

The Government is planning to replace  Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) with Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and to develop solar power plants with a total capacity of 100 gigawatts over the next four years. He also called on state-owned electricity company PT PLN (Persero) to accelerate the phase-out of diesel power plants.

“PLN must no longer use diesel power plants. Approximately 13 gigawatts must be phased out as soon as possible,” he firmly said.

In addition, Indonesia has significant potential for other energy sources that are still being researched and developed. He noted that Indonesian scientists and researchers continue to discover new potential, including substantial reserves of natural hydrogen.

President Prabowo expressed optimism that these various measures could strengthen Indonesia’s energy independence within a relatively short period. He estimated that the progress could become evident over the next three to five years and Indonesia can rise higher. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat) (RAS/LW)