"During the pandemic, it is necessary to guarantee that access to energy supplies is maintained for meeting the transportation, electricity, and household requirements, such as energy needs for cooking purposes. The community should be able to avail them," Siswanto noted in a written statement received by Antara in Jakarta on Friday.
The DEN secretary called attention to the industrial sector as also being the government's other main concern to ensure the sustainability of a sector that is able to absorb thousands of workers.
"I am also optimistic that all industries would continue to operate. We make assurance, especially in terms of the energy supply," he stated.
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Since the announcement of COVID-19 cases, Siswanto affirmed that Indonesia, in fact, had surfeit supply. "During the course of the pandemic since March 2020, we have had abundant supply for almost six months. In fact, we have excess diesel supplies. This is since everyone at home does not work. (During that time), we are concerned about its distribution," Siswanto remarked.
In a bid to address this matter, the government, through the Business Entity (BU), continues to open service stations and LPG. The concept of service is also applied online.
"I think this policy is being implemented throughout the world. What remain open are gas stations. In Indonesia, LPG distribution is also possible as facilities remain open. We can also enter through online services and can overcome the distribution problem," Siswanto noted.
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The DEN secretary conceded that in the wake of the pandemic, Indonesia's level of energy security had increased since supply and distribution were relatively not an issue.
In the meantime, in terms of infrastructure provision, the government has continued to prioritize the development of energy infrastructure.
"Transfer of the budget for COVID-19 is intended for non-fundamentals, whereas the budget for energy subsidies does not change. What we focus on (reducing) is meetings and official travel since it can be replaced virtually," he pointed out.
In the meantime, to ensure energy availability, the government has offered assistance to reduce electricity bills for 450 VA and some 900 VA customers for a period of six months. In terms of the industry, the government has offered stimulus by setting industrial gas prices in seven gas-based manufacturers to a maximum of US$6 per MMBTU.
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Translator: Afut S, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
Copyright © ANTARA 2020
