"Over the past eight years, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has built 74 megawatts (MW) of solar and micro-hydro power plants," Director General of New, Renewable Energy, and Energy Conservation (EBTKE) Eniya Listiani Dewi said in an interview with ANTARA on Monday.
"This has provided electricity access to 391,000 families," she added.
Listiani explained that the figure may seem small because the families are spread across remote areas and only require limited electricity generation capacity.
According to ministry records, the 391,000 families live in 484 villages.
She said the ministry aims to provide electricity access to remote villages that cannot be reached by the State Electricity Company (PLN).
"Therefore, an off-grid system (a system not connected to the public electricity network) with renewable energy must be developed, because if diesel fuel is transported to remote areas, the cost would be even higher," Listiani noted.
The program will continue until the government ensures that electrification reaches 100 percent, with all communities gaining access to electricity by 2029.
The development of renewable power plants is not limited to solar, micro-hydro, and biomass facilities.
Listiani said the government is also exploring other renewable energy sources to help achieve the electrification target.
"Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia has directed us to ensure electricity access for all citizens by 2029. This will further raise electrification rates and significantly boost capacity," she said.
Previously, Lahadalia stated that one of the issues discussed in a limited cabinet meeting with President Prabowo at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on August 25 was the target of providing electricity access to 5,700 villages and 4,400 smaller village units across Indonesia by 2029–2030.
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Translator: Putu Indah Savitri, Katriana
Editor: Primayanti
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