Prabowo Orders PLN to Shut Down Diesel Power Plants, Shift to 100 GW Solar Target Within Four Years

President Prabowo Subianto has instructed PLN to immediately shut down diesel-fired power plants (PLTD) across various regions of Indonesia, with a combined capacity of 13 gigawatts (GW), and to shift towards non-fossil-fuel power generation such as solar power plants (PLTS).

The government’s push to accelerate the closure of PLTD and replace them with clean energy sources—often referred to as de-dieselisation—is in line with the programme to develop PLTS with a total capacity of up to 100 GW across Indonesia.

“PLN must abandon diesel power generation; roughly 13 gigawatts must be left behind immediately, and it turns out other energy sources are truly abundant, truly abundant,” President Prabowo said during the national electric motorcycle launch event in Cikarang, Bekasi Regency, West Java, on Thursday, 13 August 2026.

The Head of State explained that to achieve energy self-sufficiency, Indonesia must reduce its dependence on imported fuel oil (BBM). Moreover, the money spent on importing BBM each year reaches between USD 28 billion and USD 30 billion.

According to the President, Indonesia possesses abundant alternative resources that are far cleaner than BBM, which is a fossil fuel—one of them being solar energy.

“It turns out there is truly an abundance, truly an abundance. Week after week, our scientists and researchers are discovering extraordinary results—very large natural hydrogen reserves, as well as other alternative energy reserves,” Prabowo said.

For this reason, the President is optimistic that Indonesia can rise by achieving energy self-sufficiency.

“We need to not depend on energy from outside our country. We are too big to rely on external parties, too big. If there is a war in a distant place, our people could become victims. We have no interest in that. If there is a dispute somewhere, a trade war somewhere, we are affected. We are always haunted by it—no more! It turns out, if we study properly, it does not take long for us to understand that Indonesia possesses extraordinary strength. Indonesia possesses extraordinary natural resources; the only question is whether we can protect and manage them,” Prabowo said.