Gov’t Provides New Electricity Installation Assistance to 83.000 Underprivileged Households
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Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and Commission VII of the House of Representatives (DPR) overseeing energy affairs have agreed to increase budget to assist electricity installation for the underprivileged.
“The budget ceiling for infrastructure for the 2023 fiscal year is Rp1.67 trillion,” Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Arifin Tasrif said as quoted from the Ministry’s official website, Friday (09/23).
In detail, the budget will be used for the distribution of converter kits for fishers and farmers, new electricity installations assistance (BPBL), construction of solar power plants (PLTS)/micro hydro power plants (PLTMH), solar energy-based street lighting system, electrical power distribution equipment (APDAL), and distribution of modern clean energy cooking services.
The Government in next year’s budget provides Rp201.65 billion for new electricity installations assistance to 83,000 houses (previously 80,000 houses), Rp94.44 billion for construction of twelve integrated solar/micro hydro power plants in 3T areas (frontier, outermost, disadvantaged), and Rp500.45 billion for installation of 31,072 units of solar energy-based street lighting system.
“The additional budget spending of Rp4.4 billion will be fully used for infrastructure development for the people. We are committed to immediately implementing the infrastructure procurement process in 2022 through a pre-Budget Implementation List auction (DIPA) so it can be carried out early in 2023 and the people can gain the benefit immediately,” Arifin said.
For the record, BPBL is assistance for new electricity installations for underprivileged households, which includes electrical power installation costs, operating certification fees, and the first top-up cost for electricity token.
The policy is regulated in Regulation of Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Regulation Number 3 of 2022 on Assistance of New Electricity Installation for Underprivileged Households signed by Arifin Tasrif on January 21, 2022.
The regulation also states that the recipients are households that have not been registered as customers of state electricity company PT. PLN and reside in an area that has a low-voltage electricity network of PLN without network expansion.
In addition, the recipient must also be registered in Ministry of Social Affairs’ Integrated Social Welfare Data (DTKS), reside in the 3T area, and/or based on validation by the village head or equivalent. (Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources PR/UN) (GWH/EP)
