President Jokowi: People from Sabang to Merauke to Enjoy Electricity

President Jokowi reviews the mock-up and inauguration of the Banten coal-fired power plant (PLTU) IPP 660 MW in Banten Province on Thursday (5/10). (Photo: PR/Jay)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo reviewed the construction of Coal Terminal with a capacity of 20 million tons and the groundbreaking of Independent Power Producer (IPP) of coal-fired Power Plant (PLTU) Java 7, 9, and 10 with a total capacity of 4,000 megawatts (MW) and the inauguration of PLTU IPP Banten which has a capacity of 660 MW in Banten Province on Thursday (5/10).

President Jokowi mentioned that three years ago, every time he went to Sumatra, Kalimantan, Maluku, Bali, Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), lack of electricity has always been the complaint but now it has decreased and it is evident that the state-owned Electricity Company (PLN) really executed its task.

Furthermore, President Jokowi said that a number of power plants are being built and are expected to be completed by 2019. “Earlier, there is no red color on the map. It is green and a little yellow. Yellow will all be disappeared because all provinces from Sabang to Merauke will be electrified because the electricity is enough,” the President said.

Second, according to the President, there are seven projects in Java. The President added that the existing projects will absorb employees or labor approximately 10,000 people.

According to the President, investment is necessary for absorbing labor and reducing unemployment as long as the project is built. “For example, this year, the recruitment for the civil servant candidate (CPNS) amounting to 43,000 and 17,000 for the State-Owned Enterprises. Then, if added with a big project like this of 10,000, then 10,000 in Sumatra, Kalimantan, it will reduce the number of unemployment,” the President added.

On this occasion, the President once again asked the PLN and the partnering companies to hire more employees from the nearby site. The President added that it is what investment is, be it in the forms of factories, industries or power plants, and that is necessary. “The electricity delivered by the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources can electrify 2 million households. Later, when it is complete, as many as 4.6 million households will be electrified, so that our children can study at night, this aspect is often forgotten,” the President said.

The President also said that there are still many our brothers and sisters in eastern Indonesia who have yet to enjoy electricity. The President asserted that he has ordered the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources to be given priority for eastern Indonesia to enjoy electricity immediately. “Third, I asked PLN regarding efficiency so that all the costs are checked properly in detail related to the price of coal. Whether related to transportation costs to transport coal from Sumatra to Java, from Kalimantan to Java. If transportation costs is high, it is inefficient, it will in turn burden the people,” the President concluded.

Accompanying President Jokowi on the occasion were Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Ignasius Jonan, Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Rini Soemarno, Banten Governor Wahidin Halim, and PLN President Director Sofyan Basir. (SM/JAY/EN) (MUR/YM/Naster).