West Java Targets Full Electrification by 2027, Proposes Free Power for Energy-Producing Villages

The West Java Provincial Government is targeting to provide electricity access to all its residents by 2027, with the number of households still without power having dropped from around 500,000 to approximately 70,000.

Governor Dedi Mulyadi stated in Bandung on Wednesday that equitable access to electricity is a key target to ensure all citizens enjoy the benefits of energy sector development. “West Java is targeting that by next year, all people of West Java will have electricity. From 500,000 who did not have electricity, now only 70,000 remain. Next year it will be completed,” he said.

Beyond expanding access, Dedi proposed a long-term vision where communities living around energy generation sites receive direct benefits through more affordable tariffs. He suggested that villages hosting energy sources, such as geothermal, solar, waste-to-energy, or hydroelectric plants, should receive free or cheaper electricity from state utility PLN.

He argued that providing direct benefits to communities near energy sources would encourage them to protect and sustain the power generation infrastructure. Dedi noted the irony that many residents living in the vicinity of power plants still lack adequate electricity services. The provincial government hopes that the development of various energy infrastructures will not only expand access but also ensure that the benefits of development are felt more equitably across all regions of the province.