Jusuf Kalla and Son Meet Prabowo to Discuss Energy Projects and International Conflicts

Former Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla and his son Solihin Kalla have revealed the contents of their meeting with President Prabowo Subianto. Jusuf Kalla stated that the main discussion revolved around accelerating national energy development. ‘We, Solihin and I, have just had a long discussion with the President, accompanied by the Minister of State Secretary and the Cabinet Secretary, about improving energy capacity in Indonesia, known as energy self-sufficiency,’ Jusuf Kalla said after meeting Prabowo at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Thursday. He disclosed that the conversation also touched on investment aspects to support energy projects, explaining that project designs and construction locations are already available. ‘This is related to development. Development must have a business aspect because it requires large-scale investment. So we talked about an investment of around IDR 60-70 trillion, and we are capable of implementing it,’ he said. ‘The design is ready, the site is ready, it is just a matter of technical discussions. And the President agreed for us to realise this immediately. It is indeed a business matter because of the investment.’ Jusuf Kalla stated that his party already has experience building a 1,500-megawatt hydroelectric power plant. He now claims readiness to develop a new project with a capacity of around 2,000 megawatts, including a gas-fired power plant. ‘We are ready… we have built a 1,500-megawatt hydroelectric plant… we are now ready to build another 2,000 megawatts, including a gas-fired plant,’ he remarked. Jusuf Kalla assessed that energy availability is a crucial factor for the success of national economic growth targets. According to him, raising economic growth from 5% to 8% requires a substantial energy supply. ‘Therefore, the President agreed that we should immediately build national energy, especially green energy, to become part of national development to support the economic growth target of up to 8% conveyed by the President, from the current 5-6%. Because that requires strong energy,’ he explained. During the occasion, Jusuf Kalla also conveyed that he and Prabowo exchanged views on several international peace issues. The discussion covered developments in Southern Thailand as well as relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan. ‘That is what we conveyed, in addition to discussing peace in countries like Thailand and between Afghanistan and Pakistan,’ he said.