ESDM targets 225,000 homes for electricity under 2026 BPBL programme

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Director of Strategic Electricity Development at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Andriah Feby Misna, stated that the government is targeting 225,000 households to be connected to electricity through the New Electricity Installation Assistance (BPBL) programme by the end of 2026. “Our initial target in the roadmap was 250,000 households, but due to budget efficiency measures, our current target for 2026 is 225,000 households to be connected,” Andriah said during an online media briefing for the Indonesia Solar Summit 2026 on Thursday. She noted that nationally, the BPBL programme has been running from 2022 to 2025, successfully connecting 588,069 households to electricity. During 2025 alone, 220,845 underprivileged households received assistance and gained electricity access, exceeding the previously set target of 215,000 homes. She explained that the realisation of the BPBL target adjusts to the budget efficiency of the initial DIPA following a sharpening of Rp9.34 trillion, which will be focused on strategic programmes directly impacting community needs and services. By 2028, the Ministry of ESDM targets 250,000 households to be electrified through this programme, while 322,164 underprivileged households are expected to gain electricity access in 2029. “The connection for underprivileged communities will continue to be carried out in stages until 2029,” Andriah said. The BPBL programme is funded by the State Budget (APBN) as a form of the state’s commitment to improving energy access for communities in remote areas and for the less fortunate. The programme is implemented in collaboration with PLN for both the BPBL and village electrification priorities. Additionally, Andriah mentioned that in 2025, the connection of homes to the PLN grid was realised for 1,403 houses out of a target of 1,285, spanning from Aceh to Papua. The government had initially targeted 1,516 houses for grid connection in 2025, but due to natural disasters and unfavourable weather conditions, the remaining 113 houses will be continued by PLN. It is hoped that by the end of 2026, a total of 2,065 houses will be connected to the grid, including through network expansion and communal or individual solar power plants with batteries.