That is what we have to prepare from now, what can be shifted to hydro, what can be shifted to geothermal, what can be shifted to solar, and what can be shifted to wind energy.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The energy transition from fossil energy to green energy can no longer be delayed, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has said.

“Indeed, we know that the energy transition can no longer be delayed. Therefore, we must prepare its grand design from now on. What will we do next year and the following years? What will happen in the next five years?” he remarked.

He made the statement at the Bogor Presidential Palace on Tuesday during a meeting streamed on the Youtube channel of the Presidential Secretariat on Saturday.

Energy transition to environmentally friendly energy is one of the government’s efforts to control climate change, he said while giving directives to the boards of commissioners and directors of state-owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina and state-owned electricity firm PT PLN.

He encouraged PT Pertamina and PT PLN to use their time as efficiently as possible to strengthen the foundation for the energy transition.

Related news: Jokowi outlines Indonesia's green economy strategy

“That is what we have to prepare from now, what can be shifted to hydro, what can be shifted to geothermal, what can be shifted to solar, and what can be shifted to wind energy,” he said.

Coal has so far contributed the most to the country’s energy supply at 67 percent, followed by fossil fuel (15 percent) and gas (8 percent), the President pointed out.

“If Indonesia is able to shift to (green) energy, this will bring about a surplus to the balance of payment, which may have an impact on Indonesia’s currency,” he said. ,

In addition, PLN’s surplus power can be used for electric cars, he added.

“If we can shift to other energy, for instance, replacing cars with electric cars and household gas with electricity due to PLN’s power oversupply, then Pertamina’s oil imports will decline,” President Jokowi said.

The head of state further asked his rank and file to facilitate foreign investment in Pertamina and PLN, which require sizable funds to carry out their projects.

“The investment decision may lie with companies, but the government also has a big strategy to bring the country to a destination that we are aspiring towards together,” he remarked.

While the world is changing rapidly, the grand design that the government is conceiving may change to adapt to the situation, he said. Therefore, he hoped opportunities for foreign investment will be opened as widely as possible, he added.

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Translator: Desca Lidya N, Suharto
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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