Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs: Village Cooperatives to Play Key Role in Community-Based Energy Management

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs has assessed that Merah Putih Village Cooperatives (Kopdes) will play a crucial role in community-based energy management.

This refers to one of the steps towards realising Indonesia’s energy resilience through the initiative to build 100 gigawatts (GW) of solar power plants (PLTS) equipped with 320 gigawatt hours (GWh) of energy storage systems, the management of which will be carried out by 80,000 Merah Putih Village Cooperatives.

“The role of Merah Putih Village Cooperatives is extremely important in community-based energy management. With this approach, economic benefits can circulate at the village level and strengthen development from the ground up,” said Sunandar, Assistant Deputy for Electricity and Geology Development at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, in Jakarta on Monday.

He added that the 100 GW solar power programme is not merely about increasing power generation capacity, but also an effort to build a cleaner, more resilient, and more equitable energy system.

The programme, he continued, must bring benefits to communities by providing energy capable of supporting village economic activities ranging from agricultural processing, fisheries, and small enterprises to digital services.

“With reliable energy, productivity will increase,” Sunandar said.

He noted that the system is also highly suitable for use in Indonesia as an archipelagic nation with diverse geographical challenges.

“A 100 GW-scale solar programme creates market certainty to attract investment in solar thermal manufacturing and its supporting components,” Sunandar said.

“We want to encourage the solar power supply chain to develop domestically, so that the energy transition simultaneously supports job creation and the strengthening of national industry,” he added.