Indonesia's Hydrogen Ambitions Require Deep Study of Four Key Issues

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia has stated that the government is continuing to encourage the development of a hydrogen ecosystem as part of efforts to strengthen national energy security. However, Bahlil stressed that accelerating hydrogen development requires support from various aspects. According to him, there are four main factors that must be studied and prepared: technology, market, investment, and regulation. “To get there, many variables are needed. The first is technology, the second is the market, the third is that we need investors, and the fourth is that to accelerate this, regulation is required,” Bahlil said at the Global Hydrogen Ecosystem Summit and Exhibition 2026 in Jakarta. He assessed that hydrogen could become an important instrument for realising energy security, energy sovereignty, and energy self-sufficiency so that Indonesia does not depend on imported energy. “This is one of the instruments for energy security, energy sovereignty, and can encourage energy self-sufficiency so that we must not be dependent. This is a challenge in my view,” he said. On the other hand, Bahlil believes that hydrogen-powered vehicles will become serious competitors to battery-based electric vehicles within the next five to ten years, in line with ongoing technological developments. Despite acknowledging this technological competition, Bahlil stressed that Indonesia will not side with any single camp. According to him, the government will choose the technology that best suits national needs. “For me, the state’s alignment will be determined by the following: first, we continue to use clean energy; second, energy that is efficient; and third, energy that can be produced from within the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia,” Bahlil concluded.