This program has been planned in detail and backed up with a simplified regulation ..."Bantul (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) launched a 35 thousand-megawatt (MW) power plant development program here on Monday to meet the increasing electricity demand in the country.
On the occasion, the president reiterated that the project was not an ambitious one as it has been planned in detail.
He stated at a ceremony held at Goa Cemara Beach in Gadingsari village, Bantul district, Yogyakarta, Central Java, that several quarters were speculating whether the project was too ambitious.
"I told them it is not. This program has been planned in detail and backed up with a simplified regulation, though it is not yet finished, and it will be closely monitored. We will complete it," he assured.
President Jokowi noted that the government owes the project to the people, and it must be accomplished as several people still cannot avail electricity.
"Every time I visit the regions, the same complaints about electricity deficit are raised. The construction of hotels or industrial zones always has to wait due to the lack of electricity," he remarked.
He pointed out that almost seven decades after Indonesia gained independence, only power plants, with a total capacity of 30 thousand MW, have been built across the country.
"That is why many quarters have raised doubt whether the 35 thousand-MW power project will be completed within five years," he revealed.
The president however emphasized that unless the program is carried out immediately, Indonesia will not be able to realize its goal of developing downstream and other industries.
"I will supervise this program personally, and I have assigned BPKP (development comptroller) to effectively monitor the 240 locations of the projects, so that the target is really achieved, and in case problems arise, they can be overcome immediately," he affirmed.
He expressed hope that in the future, power plants can be developed to utilize new and renewable sources of energy such as wind, geothermal energy, hydropower, vegetable oil, and biomass.
"We will not rely only on fossil fuel as the sole source of energy," he added.
(Reporting by Hanni Sofia Soepardi/Uu.H-YH/INE/KR-BSR/A014)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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