Minister Bahlil Affirms Commitment to Providing Electricity Access for All Indonesians

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia has affirmed the government’s commitment to providing electricity access for all Indonesians through new electricity installation assistance programmes. “Providing this lighting access is also a manifestation of the state’s presence for communities that have difficulty obtaining electricity,” Bahlil said in an official statement confirmed from Jakarta on Saturday. Bahlil stated that electricity access for people who have not had it will have a major impact on daily life. Not only does it assist household activities, but the presence of electricity is also seen as opening opportunities for family economic growth and expanding access to education and information. “I am a former village boy who was born without electricity. So, electricity access must be felt by all people. How can someone become smart at school? How can people access information from outside or inside quickly? How can primary school children study well if there is no digital access? So, I think this is one of the basic infrastructures that must be provided,” he said. Bahlil emphasised that the state must be present when people need lighting, especially in areas that are commercially unfeasible for grid development due to a small number of customers and large investment requirements. Bahlil attended the inaugural switch-on of new electricity connection assistance in Krembeng Hamlet, Hadimulyo Village, Kaligesing District, Purworejo Regency, Central Java. In addition to symbolically turning on the switch, the Minister also handed over electricity tokens to one of the beneficiaries. The Lisdes and BPBL programmes are systematic and planned efforts run by the government together with state electricity company PT PLN to bring electricity to areas that have not yet been reached. The main targets are communities living in remote, isolated areas or locations not yet covered by the PLN grid. As of 2025, the Lisdes programme has been realised in 1,403 locations across Indonesia, from Aceh to South Papua. Meanwhile, new electricity connection assistance for underprivileged households has been realised for 220,845 households, with 19,161 of those located in Central Java Province.