By: Indah Hapsari )*
The government continues to demonstrate its commitment to building equitable access to energy through the implementation of the Village Electricity Program (Lisdes) which focuses on remote, outermost, and disadvantaged (3T) areas. This initiative is part of a major national agenda to encourage energy inclusion while strengthening national resilience in the electricity sector. With an ambitious target, the government is targeting around 780 thousand households in the 3T area to enjoy electricity access in the period 2025 to 2029.
The government is aware that there are still a number of citizens who have not enjoyed basic services such as electricity and is now moving quickly to complete it in the era of President Prabowo Subianto. The government sees electricity connectivity not only as a fulfillment of basic needs, but as an important instrument in improving people’s welfare, opening up economic opportunities, and expanding access to education and other public services.
President Prabowo Subianto in his direction has stipulated that in the next five years all areas that have not received electricity services can be reached by the national electricity infrastructure. President Prabowo considered the importance of overcoming obstacles to electricity equality as a form of the current government’s moral commitment to continue the equality efforts of the previous government. Therefore, the construction of electricity facilities is one of the main priorities of the current government.
In line with that, PT PLN (Persero) takes a central role in the technical implementation of the Lisdes program. PLN’s President Director, Darmawan Prasodjo, ensured his party’s readiness in building an electricity distribution network to all corners of the country. PLN has even prepared a national electricity infrastructure development roadmap that accommodates the projected growth in electricity demand nationally. According to him, the increase in demand is influenced by economic growth, industrial downstreaming, and national energy transformation including the adoption of electric vehicles and the use of electricity-based household technology.
Darmawan emphasized that PLN will not only expand the conventional electricity network, but will also utilize renewable energy to reach areas that are difficult to reach by the main network. Technologies such as solar panels, small-scale diesel power plants, and microhydro will be important solutions, especially in areas with very limited infrastructure. This step is not only efficient in the short term, but also in line with long-term sustainable energy policies.
One of the provinces that is of concern in the Lisdes program is North Maluku. This province is included in the 3T region category with very complex geographical challenges. In a strategic meeting with the North Maluku Provincial Government, PLN explained the plan to implement the Lisdes program for the next five years. In the roadmap, PLN targets electricity connections for tens of thousands of new customers spread across remote villages.
General Manager of PLN Main Unit for Maluku and North Maluku Region, Awat Tuhuloula, explained that electricity connections in North Maluku will be carried out in stages. In 2025 alone, as many as 19 villages with more than 1,600 customers are planned to be electrified. In the development process, PLN continues to strive to overcome various technical and natural obstacles by developing medium and low voltage networks, distribution substations, and the use of local energy sources that are in accordance with regional characteristics.
According to Awat, electricity not only lights up people’s homes, but also triggers the growth of new economic activities in the village. With access to electricity, people have wider opportunities to open small businesses, increase productivity, and create added value from local sectors such as agriculture and fisheries.
North Maluku Governor Sherly Tjoanda expressed her appreciation for the close cooperation between the regional government and PLN. She assessed that the Lisdes program would have a real impact on accelerating development in her province. The North Maluku Provincial Government is even committed to providing additional budget support for the provision and installation of electricity for underprivileged communities, as a real form of regional collaboration in the national program.
The success of the Lisdes program will not only be reflected in the increase in the national electrification ratio, but also in the improvement of the quality of life of people in areas that have not previously been fully touched by development evenly. The government is also targeting a significant increase in electricity consumption per capita from 1,263 kWh in 2024 to 4,000 kWh in 2045, as a reflection of the increasing standard of living and economic activity of the community as a whole.
In the grand framework of national development, electricity is the main driver of social and economic transformation. Therefore, the provision of electricity requires active state intervention so that all people have equal access. With full support from the central government, PLN, and local governments, the implementation of the Village Electricity program will be an important instrument to ensure that no Indonesian citizen is left behind in enjoying the results of development, including those in the outermost parts of the country.
Through measured steps and cross-sector collaboration, Indonesia is now on the path to true energy equality. The Lisdes program is not just about delivering electricity, but about delivering social justice in its most concrete form—equitable, sustainable, and inclusive access to energy.
)* The author is a public policy observer
