ESDM targets 8,000 locations to be fully electrified by 2029

Jakarta — The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) says the government aims to fully electrify around 8,000 locations no later than 2029. Speaking at the HIPMI Power Development Forum 2026 in Jakarta on Wednesday, Jisman P Hutajulu, the minister’s Strategic Planning Expert, said the areas yet to be connected to electricity are generally in remote regions up to the village fringes. He reiterated that the government targets all these areas to be electrified by 2029 at the latest. ‘There are still around 8,000 locations, both villages and sub-villages, that have not yet gained access to electricity and this must be resolved.’ He added that the government has started to accelerate electrification in marginal areas. In 2025, about 1,500 locations were electrified, and by 2026 the rollout is expected to be more extensive.

Although various power generation construction programmes continue and the national electrification ratio is currently high, Hutajulu acknowledged challenges in ensuring electricity access across the country, particularly in remote areas. He noted that while national electricity capacity has expanded, distribution to villages has not always kept pace. He emphasised the importance of funding support, including through the state budget (APBN), to accelerate electricity infrastructure development in hard-to-reach areas. He said government involvement is necessary because building electricity networks in remote regions involves high costs and is not entirely commercially viable for PLN.

Separately, Ahmad Erani Yustika, the ESDM Secretary-General, said in Jakarta on Tuesday (19 May) that the government has prepared an additional Rp14 trillion budget in 2026 to support strategic programmes, including village electricity (lisdes). He stressed that the village electricity programme is a government priority to ensure all citizens have access to electricity by 2029. ‘By 2029 it must be finished; all people must have electricity,’ he said.