Closing Diesel Power Plants, Prabowo Targets Indonesia to Stop Importing Fuel in 2 Years

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - President Prabowo Subianto targets Indonesia to no longer need to import fuel oil (BBM) within two or three years. This is driven by the closure of diesel power plants (PLTD) based on fuel oil.

Prabowo stated that his administration will implement an electrification programme by constructing 100 gigawatts of waste-to-energy power plants (PLTSa). It is hoped that this project can be completed within these two years.

This project will serve as a substitute for oil-fuelled power plants. “There will be no more power plants using diesel or solar. No. With that, we will close the 13 diesel power plants under PLN,” explained Prabowo during the inauguration of the commercial electric vehicle assembly facility owned by PT Vektor Teknologi Mobilitas Tbk in Magelang, Central Java, on Thursday (9/4/2026).

President Prabowo also estimated that closing the diesel power plants could save Indonesia up to 200,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd). As is well known, Indonesia is currently a net oil importer, recording around one million barrels per day.

“We still need to import one million barrels a day. By closing the PLTD, we immediately save 20%. With the 100 GW later, we will save enormously, perhaps in two to three years we won’t need to import BBM at all.”

“We have great strength, we are truly serious, we will be strong, we will stand on our own feet,” Prabowo emphasised.

Indonesia’s Petrol and Solar Fuel Imports

According to data from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources as of 1 April 2026, Indonesia’s largest petrol imports so far still come from Singapore at 64.23%, followed by Malaysia at 27.18%. Contributions from other countries are relatively small, including Oman at 5.55% and the United Arab Emirates at 3.03%.

The three main sources of Indonesia’s solar imports up to April 2026 are Singapore at 58.56%, Malaysia at 36.56%, and Taiwan at 4.88%.