Prabowo Urges ASEAN to Accelerate Energy Diversification Amid Crisis

JAKARTA - President of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto has urged ASEAN countries to accelerate energy diversification amid rising global uncertainties.

Prabowo stated that ASEAN nations must move faster in seeking alternative energy sources, expanding renewables, and strengthening preparedness for various global scenarios.

“Energy diversification is no longer a choice. It is very important, it is necessary. We must move faster. We must go through alternative sources and we must prepare renewable energy,” said Prabowo during the plenary session of the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, Philippines, on Friday (8/5/2026), quoted from a press release.

According to him, these tensions have placed significant pressure on the energy situation in many countries, including in the ASEAN region.

“Prolonged disruptions along major global routes have already placed very high pressure on our countries’ energy situations, and that pressure does not appear to be easing in the near future,” Prabowo remarked.

Prabowo also reminded that regional energy resilience cannot be built reactively but must be prepared proactively through a clear and forward-oriented approach.

In addition, Prabowo invited ASEAN to strengthen cooperation in building a more resilient regional energy architecture to face global dynamics.

At the forum, Prabowo conveyed that Indonesia has taken concrete steps to strengthen national energy resilience.

Some of the efforts mentioned include the development of alternative and renewable energy sources, the utilisation of bioenergy, the increase in electric vehicle usage, and the construction of a large-scale solar power programme.

“We are developing alternatives, renewable energy, using bioenergy, also increasing the use of electric vehicles, and we are building a very ambitious 100-gigawatt solar energy programme that we want to complete in three years,” Prabowo explained.