Prabowo: I Am Confident the 100 GW Solar Power Project Can Be Built in Under 3 Years!

President Prabowo Subianto has targeted the construction of a 100 Giga Watt peak (GWp) solar power plant (PLTS) project to be completed in less than three years. He made the statement at the Launching and Groundbreaking Programme for the 100 GWp PLTS at the Gilimanuk Operation Monument in Jembrana Regency, Bali Province, on Tuesday (25/8/2026).

President Prabowo challenged Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Bahlil Lahadalia to complete the mega project faster than the previously set target. He asked that the 100 GWp PLTS project be finished in under three years. “I believe perhaps in less than three years we will reach 100 Giga Watts. Yes?” Prabowo said at the inauguration of the 100 GWp PLTS programme in Jembrana Regency, Bali, on Tuesday (25/8/2026).

He stressed that current officials must give full dedication to pursuing real progress for the prosperity of the Indonesian people amid the challenges of the world energy crisis. “Previously I gave a four-year target for food self-sufficiency, the economic team, the agriculture team, the food team succeeded in one year. That means if I give a three-year target for the energy team, no, make it two years,” he asserted. “If they succeed in two years, the energy team gets another star, I will give them an honour,” he added.

Prabowo also presented a comparison of the scale of the mega project with Indonesia’s current total national electricity capacity, which has only reached 88 GW from various primary energy sources. The construction of 100 GW of solar power could push Indonesia to be truly sovereign and independent in meeting its own electricity needs.

“And today is an important day, we are launching 100 GW of solar power electricity for the Indonesian nation. As an illustration, the Minister of Economy, all of Indonesia’s electricity is now 88 GW. We will build 100 GW. And we are not playing around. Our target is 100 GW in three years,” he explained.

On the occasion, Prabowo also directly checked the readiness of ministers and leaders of energy state-owned enterprises to execute the target. Prabowo asked for a guarantee from the energy sector so that Indonesia can immediately stop its dependence on imports of crude oil and LPG, which have been draining the country’s foreign exchange.

“We must not import even one barrel of oil anymore! We must not import, God willing, in the shortest possible time, even one LPG cylinder anymore! Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources? Are you capable?” he asserted.

Prabowo is confident that the national energy team can cut the project duration from three years to just two years based on the track record of the previous food self-sufficiency team’s success. He even promised honours for the relevant officials if this renewable energy mega project is executed faster than the original target.

“Thank you to all elements, today is an important day, we are launching and I believe perhaps in less than three years we will reach 100 GW. If they succeed in two years, the energy team gets another star, I will give them an honour,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia said that Indonesia is blessed with year-round sunshine and has the potential to be utilised for electricity through solar power plants. Along with that, the government does have a programme to build solar power plants with a total capacity of 100 GW throughout Indonesia.

Bahlil reported the readiness of the project implementation directly before Prabowo in Bali. He explained that the work on the mega project will be carried out massively with a target of the next three years. “Today we are taking a big step to realise what the President has always directed us to do, namely national energy self-sufficiency and sovereignty. Indonesia is a country that God has given extraordinary resources,” he said in his report at the inauguration of the 100 GW PLTS programme, broadcast online, on Tuesday (25/8/2026).

As an initial stage, the government is conducting a groundbreaking for a capacity of 5.3 GW, with the Bali region receiving a portion of 1,000 Mega Watts (1 GW) equipped with a battery system. The development in Bali utilises state land to accelerate execution so that a shift from the use of diesel power plants (PLTD) can occur immediately.

“And for the day that we are carrying out, we are groundbreaking 5.3 Giga Watts and for Bali it is 1,000 Megawatts plus batteries,” he added.

Later, the electricity generated from the solar power plant will be in the range of 5 to 6 US dollar cents per kWh, excluding battery costs. “Specifically for Bali, by using 1,000 Mega Watts (MW), it is able to achieve an efficiency of 0.6 million kilolitres of diesel fuel carried out by PLN. All this time Bali has still been using PLTD,” he explained.

According to records from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, the mega project requires a total investment of US$73 billion, equivalent to more than Rp1,140 trillion. The government projects that the operation of the 100 GW solar power plant will be able to provide energy subsidy budget efficiency of up to Rp73.9 trillion per year and absorb around 5.52 million workers.

The government will prioritise a cooperation scheme with the private sector or Independent Power Producers (IPP) through a tender process. Furthermore, the government is ready to take over the project work through the Daya Anagata Nusantara Investment Management Agency (BPI Danantara) if the price offered by developers is not competitive for the interests of the state.