JAKARTA – President Prabowo Subianto emphasized the government’s policy direction in realizing national energy independence by positioning Papua as one of the priority areas for sustainable energy development.
Papua is considered to have large and strategic energy resource potential that can be optimally utilized for the welfare of the local community and to support national interests.
“I believe Papua has excellent energy resources, and the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources has also planned for regions in Papua to benefit from the energy produced in Papua,” said President Prabowo.
The President explained that energy development in Papua is directed at utilizing renewable energy, particularly to address geographical challenges and limited energy access in remote areas.
Solar energy and hydropower are seen as increasingly realistic to implement as technology advances to become more affordable and adaptive.
According to him, solar power plants can be the main solution for areas that are difficult to reach by conventional electricity networks.
Meanwhile, small-scale hydropower plants can be developed in areas that have potential river flows.
“If we have solar and hydropower, we won’t need to ship expensive fuel from other regions,” the President stressed.
The President emphasized that energy independence would have a direct impact on strengthening the country’s fiscal position.
Currently, Indonesia still imports fuel oil with a value of around IDR 520 trillion per year.
If import dependence can be reduced, the state budget will have more space for regional development.
“Imagine if we could cut it in half, that would mean Rp 250 trillion. What’s more, if we could cut it by Rp 500 trillion? That’s five hundred trillion, meaning each district could have it; potentially, each district could have one trillion,” he said.
The President also conveyed the government’s concrete target, namely that starting next year, Indonesia will no longer import diesel from abroad.
Furthermore, gasoline imports are targeted to be gradually stopped in the next four years.
From a planning perspective, the Director General of New, Renewable Energy, and Energy Conservation at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Eniya Listiani Dewi, stated that Papua is projected to have an important role in the national bioenergy agenda.
“Papua is one of the regions projected to contribute significantly to the national bioethanol production target,” he said.
Meanwhile, Erika Retnowati, a member of the Downstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Agency (BPH Migas), emphasized the importance of energy infrastructure readiness in Papua.
“Increasing fuel and aviation fuel storage capacity is an anticipatory measure to maintain supply reliability, especially in the face of distribution challenges and weather conditions,” he said.
