Prabowo Highlights Unfair Mineral Industry for the State
President Prabowo Subianto has highlighted the domestic mineral industry, which he considers unfair to the state. He expressed this view during a meeting with Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia.
Prabowo instructed Bahlil to prioritise the state’s interests above all else in safeguarding Indonesia’s natural resources. “Our natural resources are state assets, and therefore the President has ordered us to seek sources of revenue in the mineral sector that have so far been unfair to the state,” Bahlil stated in a written statement on Thursday, 26 March 2026.
At present, Bahlil said, the government is ensuring that downstreaming runs optimally, the energy transition continues to progress, and the production of energy commodities remains balanced with market needs. The government, he added, is also striving to keep commodity prices competitive without sacrificing national interests.
Bahlil explained that the downstreaming programme is one of the government’s priorities. According to this Chairman of the Golkar Party, President Prabowo’s administration is working on 20 first-phase downstreaming projects, some of which have already entered the groundbreaking stage.
In addition to those projects, Bahlil said, there are also 13 downstreaming projects being undertaken by the government. “The total investment is approximately Rp239 trillion, and we will discuss the finalisation,” Bahlil stated.
Besides downstreaming, Bahlil also discussed the development of alternative energy to achieve energy self-sufficiency. According to Bahlil, President Prabowo has directed that all domestic energy potentials, including ethanol and biodiesel based on crude palm oil (CPO), be utilised for new and renewable energy.
“The President has ordered us to optimise all the energy potentials we have, whether ethanol, biodiesel from CPO, including how we can promote the energy transition through new renewable energy,” Bahlil remarked.
Bahlil’s meeting with President Prabowo took place in Hambalang, Bogor, West Java, on Wednesday, 25 March 2026. Several other ministers, such as Downstreaming Minister Rosan Perkasa Roeslani, also attended the meeting at Prabowo’s private residence.