There is a common misunderstanding in debates regarding energy\nsovereignty. We often assume that a strong nation is one capable of\nmeeting all its energy needs independently, without relying on other\ncountries and maintaining full control over its entire supply chain.<\/p>\n
This idea sounds convincing, but it is increasingly difficult to\nmaintain in a globally interconnected economy. No modern major power\nlives entirely without dependency. The United States relies on global\nmineral and manufacturing supply chains. China requires access to\nmarkets and resources from various nations. Japan and South Korea import\na large portion of their energy needs.<\/p>\n
Even nations with immense economic and technological power still\nrequire trade, investment, technology, and international networks. The\nmodern world is built not on absolute independence, but on\ninterdependence. The issue is not whether a nation depends on others,\nbut whether that dependency is within its strategic control.<\/p>\n
Throughout history, international relations have always been shaped\nby dependency. Ancient trade routes connected centres of civilisation\nthrough the need for spices, metals, food, and energy. Empires built\nports and trade routes not merely to expand territory, but to secure\naccess to the resources they required.<\/p>\n
In the modern era, oil is one of the clearest examples. Industrial\nnations without large oil reserves build strategic relationships with\nproducer nations. Conversely, producer nations require technology,\ncapital, markets, and security from industrial nations. A relationship\nof mutual need is formed\u2014not always equal, but interdependent. From\nthis, we learn that dependency does not inherently produce weakness.\nDependency becomes a weakness when a nation has no options when those\nrelationships are disrupted.<\/p>\n
This concept should serve as the new foundation for Indonesia\u2019s\nenergy security thinking. Energy security does not necessarily mean\nIndonesia must produce all its energy needs itself. In many situations,\npursuing absolute self-sufficiency can be inefficient and\nunrealistic.<\/p>\n
Indonesia will continue to engage with global markets. We will import\nsome energy, export certain commodities, utilise foreign technology,\nreceive foreign investment, and connect with international supply\nchains. What we must ensure is that no single dependency can strip\nIndonesia of its ability to make choices when conditions change.\nStrategic resilience does not mean being independent; strategic\nresilience means having enough options when dependencies are tested.<\/p>\n
Oil is a highly relevant example. Indonesia possesses oil resources,\nbut domestic production is no longer sufficient to meet all national\nneeds. In such a situation, the question is not simply whether Indonesia\ncan avoid oil imports, but how to ensure those imports do not become a\nstrategic vulnerability.<\/p>\n
Diversifying supply sources, strengthening storage capacity,\nimproving energy efficiency, developing more efficient transport,\nincreasing economical domestic production, and developing alternative\nenergy sources are all parts of a strategy to manage dependency. With\nthis approach, imports are not a sign of weakness. Imports become one\ninstrument in a larger system, provided Indonesia has the choice and the\nability to adapt when prices, suppliers, or geopolitical conditions\nchange.<\/p>\n
The same applies to gas. Gas can play a vital role in maintaining\nenergy system reliability while supporting the transition to a\nlower-emission system. However, dependency on a single source, a single\nsupplier, or specific infrastructure can create risks. Therefore, a gas\nstrategy should not only focus on production; we must also look at\nnetworks, terminals, storage, contracts, domestic markets, and the\nability to divert supply.<\/p>\n
A resilient energy system is not one that has no risk, but one that\nis capable of absorbing risk without halting economic activity.<\/p>\n
Globally, this principle is increasingly evident in energy technology\nsupply chains. Solar panels, batteries, turbines, power grids, and\nvarious modern energy technologies require raw materials and components\nfrom many countries. No nation masters the entire supply chain\nperfectly. Even the most technologically advanced nations remain\ndependent on minerals, components, manufacturing, or markets from other\ncountries. Therefore, a sensible strategy is not to try and produce\neverything alone. The strategy is to determine which parts must be\nstrategically controlled, which parts can be obtained through\ncooperation, and which parts need to be diversified to avoid creating a\nsingle point of failure.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has a great opportunity in this regard because it possesses\nstrategic minerals that are increasingly important to the future\neconomy. However, having minerals alone is not enough. If all the\nprocessing technology remains abroad, Indonesia will remain in a\nvulnerable position within the value chain. Therefore, downstreaming\nmust be understood not just as a process of increasing export value, but\nas a way to build capability.<\/p>\n
Processing capabilities, technology, expertise, financing, research\nand development, component manufacturing, and national industrial\ncapacity must develop gradually. In this way, Indonesia\u2026<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/unmanaged-dependency-is-a-weakness-1788994451", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }