Jakarta – The government’s plan to develop 100 gigawatts (GW) of solar power generation has been welcomed by climate and energy experts as an ambitious step that could accelerate Indonesia’s energy transition. However, they cautioned that the initiative must be backed by strong implementation and good governance to avoid repeating past shortcomings in renewable energy development.
Speaking at a media briefing for the Indonesia Net Zero Summit (INZS) on Wednesday, July 29, Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI) founder Dino Patti Djalal described the government’s announcement as “a breath of fresh air” and said Indonesia needed bold renewable energy targets.
He said that the government is moving towards the “right direction”, indicated by “the announcement of 100 gigawatts of solar (power generation). This is a breath of fresh air because at the very least we need ambitious targets,” Dino said.
The reactions came a day after Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia announced that the first phase of the 100 GW solar programme would begin soon following a limited cabinet meeting with President Prabowo Subianto.
Bahlil said the government had approved the first phase of the project and that groundbreaking would take place in the near future, with President Prabowo expected to officiate the launch. He told reporters after the meeting that they “discussed the implementation of the 100 GW solar power programme, which, God willing, will soon begin with its first groundbreaking. The first phase has already been approved for implementation, and the President is expected to inaugurate it”.
New chapter for Indonesia
Dino said the announcement marked what could be a new chapter for Indonesia’s clean energy transition, but stressed that success would depend on execution rather than promises.
“What we want is not only an ambitious target, but implementation. We are already in 2025, and renewable energy is still stuck at around 11–12 per cent because there has been no serious implementation,” he said. “Now we see the possibility of a new chapter, and hopefully this can be realised.”
Dino added that the real challenge now was ensuring the plan is delivered.
“We welcome the statement, the announcement and the ambition, but the question is: let’s deliver,” he said.
The Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) also welcomed the government’s plan but stressed that it should be implemented within a framework of good governance and a broader transformation of Indonesia’s energy system.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, IESR said the 100 GW solar programme should be integrated with village electrification efforts to ensure that communities, particularly in remote and frontier regions, gain access to reliable and productive energy services rather than simply improving national electrification statistics.
According to IESR, the programme should support productive uses of electricity that stimulate local economic development while advancing a just energy transition.
The institute said its Solar Archipelago roadmap envisions electrifying islands and Indonesia’s outermost, frontier and disadvantaged (3T) regions through large-scale community-based solar deployment before 2030. Integrating village electrification into the 100 GW programme would not only help achieve national solar capacity targets, but also promote rural economic growth, energy democratisation and a more equitable energy transition, the organisation said.
IESR Chief Executive Officer Fabby Tumiwa said the organisation appreciated the government’s commitment to the programme but urged that its implementation be carried out within a framework of good governance and comprehensive energy system transformation. (nsh)
Banner photo: Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) Bahlil Lahadalia gives a press briefing at the Presidential Palace Complex in Jakarta on Tuesday, 28 July 2026. Source: BPMI Setpres/Press, Media and Information Bureau of the Presidential Secretariat
