Expanding Electricity Access to Villages, Bahlil Confident 100 GWp Solar Power Project Will Be Completed in 3 Years
Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia has stated that the 100 GWp solar power plant (PLTS) programme will be implemented on a massive scale and realised within three years.
According to him, the cost of generating electricity from the solar plants currently being launched ranges from USD 5-6 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), though this does not yet include the cost of batteries.
“The battery cost is added on top of that. The battery depends on whether you want 4 hours or 24 hours — the price will follow the duration of battery usage,” Bahlil said in his statement on Tuesday, 25 August 2026.
He added that the government will also run the programme to expand electricity access to villages that have so far remained beyond the reach of the electricity grid.
This is in line with Prabowo’s directive to build solar plants with a capacity of 1 Megawatt per village.
Bahlil cited the example of a 1 MW per village solar project already implemented by Pertamina in one regency in Sumatra. The area, which previously had no electricity access, is now said to have been able to develop storage facilities and support the fisheries sector.
“Village areas that have so far had no electricity — we will penetrate them with the 100 Gigawatt programme and electricity entering villages so that everyone can have electricity,” Bahlil said.
On the other hand, the government is also pushing for the conversion of diesel-fired power plants (PLTD) that still depend on fuel oil (BBM). One such effort is being carried out by PLN in Bangka Belitung by developing power generation based on a mix of wind and solar energy.
Bahlil said Indonesia currently still has around 12.6 GW of power generation capacity that uses fuel oil.
“So if we are able to carry out this conversion from diesel to solar, then the reduction in our fuel imports, particularly diesel, will decrease and everything will use national energy,” he said.