Speaking at the Indonesia Net-Zero Summit 2025 in Jakarta on Saturday, Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan highlighted that the regulation is expected to be finalized next week and that he will serve as chairman of a Task Force for Accelerating Self-Sufficiency in Food, Water, and Energy.
"We intend to build power plants that rely on solar panels with support of approximately US$100 billion worth of investment," he remarked.
He noted that this initiative aligns with the Red and White Villages Cooperatives program launched by President Prabowo Subianto on July 21. The program has led to the establishment of cooperatives in around 80 thousand villages nationwide.
The minister pointed out that Indonesia currently incurs about US$25 billion in energy subsidies annually — an expenditure expected to be phased out through the PLTS push.
"If we redirect the funds from energy subsidies to solar panels, we will no longer need to roll out subsidies within the next four to five years," Hasan elaborated.
He said the goal is to install PLTS in all 80 thousand village cooperatives, with each cooperative allocating one to 1.5 hectares of its land for the power plants.
According to Hasan, the PLTS will form integrated electricity systems spanning village, sub-district, and district levels.
He noted that the solar energy initiative is expected to significantly boost electricity efficiency, given that the costs for power transmission through state-run electricity company PLN remain quite high.
"Hopefully, within less than 10 years, Indonesia will achieve sovereignty in the energy sector, particularly in terms of new and renewable energy," the minister concluded.
Earlier, President Prabowo Subianto emphasized that solar energy could play a pivotal role in ensuring equal access to sufficient energy for all regions across Indonesia, including rural and remote areas, ultimately leading to national energy independence.
He made the statements during the inauguration of geothermal and solar power plants in Bondowoso, East Java, on June 26.
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Translator: Shofi A, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
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