President Prabowo urges ASEAN to accelerate regional energy network
Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto has urged ASEAN countries to accelerate the energy network, given that energy resilience is a major urgent challenge to be addressed collectively as a result of global pressures and geopolitical instability in the Middle East.
An official statement from the Presidential Secretariat in Jakarta on Thursday stated that the Head of State said that the situation has made energy issues not just a long-term challenge but also a need that must be responded to immediately.
“Energy resilience is one of the important issues we face at present. With increasing global pressures and instability in the Middle East, this is no longer a long-term problem, but an urgent one,” said President Prabowo in his speech at the Special Summit of Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), which is part of the 48th ASEAN Summit series in Cebu, Philippines.
The Head of State conveyed that the BIMP-EAGA region has great potential in developing new renewable energy, ranging from hydropower, solar power, wind power, to fertile land that has not yet been optimally utilised.
In this regard, the President touched on the readiness of member countries to utilise that potential to meet regional needs while supporting ASEAN’s energy transition.
Furthermore, he encouraged concrete steps to accelerate the development of clean energy in the region, such as developing hydropower in Borneo, expanding solar energy projects in Palawan, and utilising wind energy in coastal areas.
On that occasion, President Prabowo also outlined several steps that Indonesia is currently implementing to accelerate the development of solar energy.
“Full speed ahead, 100 GW of solar power, invite our friends, improve our energy infrastructure, we have the potential,” said the President.
Regional connectivity
In addition to energy development, President Prabowo emphasised the importance of strengthening subregional connectivity, including increasing the capacity of the Trans Borneo Power Grid electricity network so that energy distribution can run more efficiently in the region.
“All this will not happen without the right support. We need to secure funding, mobilise technical expertise, and deepen partnerships with our regional advisors and development partners,” said the President.
In closing his speech, President Prabowo affirmed that in addition to energy resilience, food resilience is also a fundamental issue that must be a joint concern for BIMP-EAGA countries in maintaining the welfare of the region’s communities.
From Cebu, President Prabowo simultaneously sent a strong message that ASEAN’s future is not only determined by economic growth, but also by the region’s ability to maintain energy resilience, food security, and societal stability amid a continuously changing world.