Indonesian Citizens to Be Encouraged to Cook Using Electric Stoves
The People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR RI) supports the government’s push to shift the energy source for cooking from the currently dominant Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to electric stoves. One of the aims is to reduce the burden of LPG imports in the country.
Deputy Speaker of the MPR RI, Eddy Soeparno, stated that the assembly is encouraging a plan to distribute free electric stoves to lower-class community groups, specifically those in deciles 1 to 4. He mentioned that the assembly has agreed in principle to the discourse and is pushing for its implementation by the government in 2027.
"So later, for deciles 1 to 4, free stoves will be provided, free electric stoves. The budget for this has been agreed upon in principle for 2027 to be implemented," he said at a CNBC Indonesia Coffee Morning event, quoted on Friday (24/7/2026).
The conversion programme is considered urgent because currently 80% of the total national LPG demand is met through imports. This condition has burdened the state budget due to LPG subsidies. Eddy detailed that one 3 kg LPG cylinder actually has an economic value of Rp56,000, but is sold to the public for only around Rp20,000 to Rp21,000. This means the state bears a subsidy of Rp36,000 per cylinder, and he noted that 63% of energy subsidies are currently mistargeted.
"Therefore, we must switch. We are now pushing in parliament for a change in our cooking methods from LPG-based to electricity-based," he continued. The shift to electric stoves is considered safer for energy security because Indonesia’s electricity supply is dominated by domestic resources, particularly coal and renewable energy. Through the electric stove programme, the government hopes to achieve budget savings of up to Rp390 trillion per year in subsidies to be allocated to other sectors.
The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) has allocated a budget of Rp815.56 billion for the electric stove procurement programme in 2027. Minister of ESDM Bahlil Lahadalia stated that the budget is included in the ceiling for the Directorate General of New, Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation (EBTKE) and has been listed in the Indicative Ceiling Joint Letter (SBPI).
"This electric stove programme is because we are reducing the need for LPG, we are looking for another energy mix. So our energy is not only LPG, there are electric stoves, CNG, and others, that’s Rp815.56 billion," Bahlil explained previously. In addition to electric stoves, the Ministry of ESDM has also allocated a budget of Rp635.24 billion for the electric motorcycle programme as part of the national energy transition.