Minister Bahlil Affirms Commitment to Providing Electricity Access for All Indonesians

The provision of lighting access serves as a manifestation of the state’s presence for communities struggling to obtain electricity.

he Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Bahlil Lahadalia, has reaffirmed the commitment to providing electricity access for all Indonesian people through a programme of assistance for new electricity installations.

“The provision of lighting access is also a manifestation of the state’s presence for communities that find it difficult to access electricity,” Bahlil stated in an official statement confirmed in Jakarta on Saturday.

Bahlil noted that providing electricity access to those who have previously been without it will have a significant impact on daily life. Beyond assisting household activities, the availability of electricity is considered to open opportunities for family economic growth and expand access to education and information.

“I am a former village child who was born without electricity. Therefore, electricity access must be felt by all members of society. How can people study well? How can people access information from both outside and inside quickly? How can primary school children attend school effectively without access to digitalisation? Therefore, I believe this is one of the fundamental infrastructures that must be implemented,” he said.

According to Bahlil, the state is obliged to step in when the community requires lighting, particularly in areas deemed commercially unviable for power grid development due to low customer numbers and high investment costs.

Bahlil attended the inaugural lighting ceremony for new electricity connection assistance in Krembeng Hamlet, Hadimulyo Village, Kaligesings District, Purworejo Regency, Central Java. In addition to symbolically flipping the switch, the Minister of ESDM also handed over electricity tokens to one of the aid recipients.

The Lisdes and BPBL programmes are systematic and planned efforts carried out by the government alongside PT PLN to bring electricity to unreached areas. The primary target is communities living in remote, isolated, or locations not yet touched by the PLN power grid.

By 2025, the realisation of the Lisdes Programme has covered 1,403 locations spread across Indonesia, from Aceh to South Papua. Meanwhile, assistance for new electricity connection installations for underprivileged communities has been realised for 220,845 households, with 19,161 of these households located in Central Java Province.