Bahlil: Uncertain World, Indonesia Chooses Its Own Path to Maintain Energy Resilience
JAKARTA - The Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Bahlil Lahadalia, has emphasised that Indonesia will choose its own policy path to maintain energy resilience amid increasingly heightened global uncertainties.
According to him, the government will not simply follow the approaches of other countries but will instead adapt strategies to domestic needs and conditions.
This is a consequence of ongoing geopolitical tensions, from global rivalries to conflicts in the Middle East, which are seen to make the direction of the world economy and energy increasingly difficult to predict.
In such a situation, every country is compelled to formulate strategies to maintain the stability of energy supplies and the sustainability of its economy.
Bahlil assesses that global pressures on the energy sector force Indonesia to prioritise a pragmatic approach.
One of them is to continue utilising available domestic energy sources, including coal, amid the global push for energy transition.
The government, he said, must maintain a balance between environmental targets and the national economy’s capabilities.
In addition, the government is also continuously strengthening the energy mix through the development of plant-based energy.
The biodiesel programme that has been running from B10 to B40, and is targeted to increase to B50 in July 2026, is one of the concrete steps to reduce dependence on energy imports.
Not only that, he claims to have started promoting the development of ethanol-based fuels as a substitute for petrol.
This step is expected not only to strengthen energy resilience but also to open new economic opportunities in the agricultural sector through the utilisation of commodities such as sugarcane, corn, and cassava.
On the other hand, Bahlil emphasised the importance of efficiency and sustainability in energy policies.
With these various steps, the government is optimistic that Indonesia will be able to maintain national energy resilience while strengthening the economic foundation amid global uncertainties that will continue for some time to come.