Indonesian Govt stanch in commitment to sustainable utilization of clean energy

An operator of solar power plant is cleaning solar panels in Pualu Saugi, Mattiro Baji Village, Pangkep District, South Sulawesi ANTARA/Suriani Mappong/am.

One of the principles applied by the government for energy development is sustainability

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government remains stanch in its commitment to ensuring the sustainable utilization of clean energy, especially renewable energy in the electricity sector, through an energy pricing regulation.

"One of the principles applied by the government for energy development is sustainability," Director General of Electrical Power of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry Rida Mulyana noted in a written statement released on Wednesday.

Apart from sustainability, the government has also outlined five other principles called 5K, including availability and quality, for energy development, he remarked.

"If power supply is sufficient but not uninterrupted, then it will be futile. Hence, the government must ensure that the public enjoys good-quality electrical power," he emphasized.

The third principle is affordability, which means the energy prices should be feasible for all elements of the community, he explained.

The fourth principle pertains to sustainability under which power supplies must be sustainable, while the fifth principle is justice that must be ensured for all Indonesians.

To expedite the transition of energy from fossil-based to new and renewable energy, the government will soon issue a regulation on new and renewable energy tariffs, he stated.

"We will issue a presidential regulation on the tariffs of renewable energy sold to state electricity firm PT PLN. The regulation is expected to boost the use of new and renewable energy in Indonesia," he stated.

PT PLN President Director Zulkifli Zaini affirmed that in a bid to support the energy transition process, the company had adopted three programs aimed at expediting the development of new and renewable energy in the country.

The first program concerns the development of new and renewable energy in PT PLN's long-term plan that will cover 5 GW, while the second program concerns the green booster covering 3.5 GW, he revealed.

The green booster program encompasses innovations in the development of new and renewable energy, including the coal-fired power program, solar PV on former mining sites, and utilization of existing dams.

The third is the large-scale renewable energy program. PLN will develop large-scale new and renewable energy-fueled power plants by preparing hydro-powered plants to meet the demand of industries.