Prabowo and Jusuf Kalla Hold Serious Talks at Palace: What Was Discussed?
Former Vice President Jusuf Kalla met with President Prabowo Subianto at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Thursday. Kalla arrived at the palace complex around 3 p.m. local time accompanied by his son, Solihin Kalla, who serves as President Director of Kalla Group. Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya greeted Kalla and Solihin before directing them to the meeting room with Prabowo.
The meeting took place amid public attention on recent economic developments. Kalla revealed he had a lengthy discussion with Prabowo, who was accompanied by Teddy and State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi. The talks focused heavily on the development of the national energy sector, including an investment plan worth Rp70 trillion.
Kalla stated that energy demand will rise in line with the government’s economic growth targets of 5 to 8 percent. ‘Because we see that for the country to grow 5 to 6 percent, up to 8 percent, it requires an extraordinary amount of energy. Without energy, it will be difficult to boost economic growth,’ Kalla said at the palace complex.
He expressed readiness to develop large-scale power plant projects, noting that his business group has already built a hydroelectric power plant with a capacity of around 1,500 megawatts and is prepared to add up to 2,000 megawatts of new capacity, including through gas-fired power plants. According to Kalla, President Prabowo supports accelerating national energy development, particularly green energy, which is deemed crucial for sustaining long-term economic growth.
Kalla also mentioned that the discussion touched on several international issues, including developments in other countries. He stressed that the energy project discussions were inseparable from business aspects due to the large investment required, estimated at Rp60 trillion to Rp70 trillion. He noted that the project design and location are already available, leaving only technical discussions to proceed. Kalla’s business group, Kalla Group, already operates in the energy sector through PT Poso Energy, which runs a 515-megawatt hydroelectric power plant in Central Sulawesi that began commercial operations in 2023.