Jakarta – Analysts say President Prabowo Subianto’s pledge to run Indonesia entirely on renewable energy within the next decade will be hard to realise under existing policy frameworks.
An analysis by the Center for Research on Energy and Human (Cerah) shows that the plan to transition to 100 per cent renewable energy does not yet have a clear roadmap. Fossil fuels still occupy a large portion of various government strategic documents.
“There is no clarity regarding which fossil fuel power plants will be decommissioned, their capacity, and the implementation schedule. Without that certainty, the additional renewable energy will not be enough to reach 100 per cent,” said Sartika Nur Shalati, Policy Strategist at Cerah, on Tuesday, September 2.
Sartika explained that the National Energy Policy (KEN), National Electricity Master Plan (RUKN), and Electricity Supply Business Plan (RUPTL) documents still include fossil fuels in their long-term plans.
In the 2025–2034 RUPTL, the government still plans to build 16.6 gigawatts (GW) of new fossil fuel power plants. Meanwhile, in the RUKN, the share of fossil fuels is still targeted at around 26 per cent by 2060. The 100 GW solar power plant has not yet been included in the technical documents.
Cerah also highlighted the promise to build 100 GW of solar power plants (PLTS), which are touted as the backbone of the energy transition. However, this plan has not yet been included in the RUPTL or other technical regulations.
“Without regulatory support and technical planning, the 100 GW solar power target will be difficult to achieve. In fact, this is one of the main pillars for pushing Indonesia towards a clean energy mix,” explained Sartika.
According to Sartika, one urgent step is to harmonise political vision and energy planning documents. Sartika emphasised that the government needs to review policies that still allow room for fossil fuels.
“The President’s target should be appreciated as an ambitious push to accelerate the energy transition. But for it to be more than just a slogan, the government must revise strategic documents and strengthen the regulatory framework in line with 100 per cent renewable energy,” she said. (Hartatik)
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