Anticipating Soaring Global Oil Prices, Prabowo Requests Conversion of Diesel Power Plants to Solar Power Plants

President Prabowo Subianto has directed the acceleration of the conversion of diesel power plants (PLTD) to solar power plants (PLTS) amid high oil prices. Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto, after a limited meeting with President Prabowo Subianto at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Thursday afternoon, stated that this step has been requested to be calculated and realised immediately. “Regarding diesel power plants, with the current high oil prices, the President has directed that this be realised and calculated immediately for conversion to solar power plants,” Airlangga said in his press statement. Airlangga mentioned that in its implementation, the Investment Management Agency (BPI) Danantara has been tasked with resolving various issues related to the PLTD. “Danantara has been given the task of resolving the problems with those PLTD,” he said. Meanwhile, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology Brian Yuliarto, who also attended the limited meeting, stated that there is still significant use of diesel power plants (PLTD) in various locations. Therefore, he is pushing to replace them with solar power plants (PLTS). “If they can be replaced, the President has requested PLTS for those that can be replaced immediately. Even the President has requested that Indonesia no longer use diesel, because in terms of price it’s high, and environmentally it’s not good. If it can be replaced with renewable energy, it will be very good,” he explained. It is known that President Prabowo has appointed the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Bahlil Lahadalia as the Head of the Task Force for Accelerating Energy Transition. Minister Bahlil said the government continues to strive to provide comprehensive energy access for the public. President Prabowo, in a limited meeting at the State Palace in Jakarta, ordered Minister Bahlil to accelerate the implementation of clean and renewable energy, one of which is the provision of solar power plants (PLTS), intended for schools and villages. “We have just finished a limited meeting with the President, discussing the implementation of clean and renewable energy. This includes the connection to the 100 gigawatt (GW) programme for PLTS, then new renewable energy,” Bahlil said at the State Palace in Jakarta on Thursday (5/3). To accelerate the realisation of this clean and renewable energy transition, President Prabowo has formed a task force for accelerating energy transition by appointing Bahlil as its head. According to Bahlil, the formation of this task force aligns with the government’s efforts to carry out energy transition while reducing subsidies. “Of course, the orientation is that we can carry out energy transition faster, but we can also reduce subsidies. Because by converting from PLTD or diesel to PLTS, it will result in efficiency in electricity subsidies and at the same time we are pushing for the acceleration of the use of electric motorbikes and cars,” Bahlil added. The Ministry of ESDM is also promoting the use of PLTS to accelerate electrification in remote islands. This effort is part of the government’s strategic programme to increase energy availability and expand energy service access to hard-to-reach areas.