Nurdin Halid: Indonesia's Energy Resilience Rises to Second Place Globally Thanks to the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources
Golkar faction member of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Nurdin Halid, has commended the performance of the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Bahlil Lahadalia, following Indonesia’s achievement in being deemed increasingly robust in facing global energy fluctuations.
Through JP Morgan’s latest report titled Pandora’s Box: The Global Energy Shock of 2026, Indonesia ranks second in the world as the most resilient country against energy crises, particularly in the oil and gas sector.
Nurdin views this accomplishment as inseparable from the government’s strategic policies, especially under Bahlil’s leadership in the energy sector. Nurdin believes that the steps taken by the government have strengthened the foundation of national energy independence.
“This is not an achievement that came suddenly. There is systematic work from upstream to downstream carried out by the government. I see that the Minister of ESDM has successfully read the global situation and prepared Indonesia to be more resilient against shocks,” Nurdin stated in his comments on Friday (1/5/2026).
It is known that Minister of ESDM Bahlil Lahadalia employs three main strategies promoted by the government, namely increasing domestic oil and gas production, energy diversification through biodiesel programmes, and the development of alternative fuels such as bioethanol.
Nurdin observes that policies like B50 and E20 are concrete steps to curb reliance on energy imports, which has long been a weak point for many countries.
“Advanced countries are instead hit hard because they are too dependent on imports. Indonesia is now showing a different direction—utilising its own resources as the main strength,” said the Golkar party politician.
Nurdin also regards energy diversification steps such as the development of dimethyl ether (DME) and compressed natural gas (CNG) as substitutes for imported LPG as strategic decisions amid global supply chain uncertainties.
Based on the JP Morgan report, Indonesia’s energy resilience is supported by high domestic coal production as well as its capacity as a major exporter of thermal coal worldwide. Indonesia is even recorded as one of the important global natural gas producers.
Nurdin considers this achievement as a momentum to accelerate the national energy transition, including the development of renewable energy, so that energy resilience is not only strong in the short term but also sustainable.
“We must not stop. Energy resilience must be accompanied by a transition to clean energy so that Indonesia is not only resilient to crises but also competitive in the future,” Nurdin said.
Nurdin hopes that synergy between the government, industry players, and society continues to be strengthened to maintain this positive momentum amid global energy dynamics.