Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of the Republic of Indonesia

06/23/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/23/2021 04:27

Energy Council: Determination of Regional Energy Policy Must be Accelerated

Energy Council: Determination of Regional Energy Policy Must be Accelerated

Tuesday, 15 June 2021 - Dibaca 1334 kali

MINISTRY OF ENERGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES

REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA

PRESS RELEASE

NUMBER: 204.Pers/04/SJI/2021

Date: 15 June 2021

Energy Council: Determination of Regional Energy Policy Must be Accelerated

Executive Chair of Indonesian National Energy Council (DEN), Arifin Tasrif, said that the determination of regional cross-sectoral policy, or Provincial Energy Masterplan (RUED-P), must be accelerated. The government has set a target that all provinces in Indonesia have enacted their respective RUED by 2022.

'It is our duty at DEN to prepare future strategic plans and formulate policies immediately,' said Arifin who is also Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) in a Work Meeting with Commission VII of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia (DPR RI) in Jakarta on Monday (14/6).

Arifin went on to explain that 21 provinces in Indonesia have enacted their RUED-P. 'There are still 13 provinces that do not yet have RUED-P. We hope that by 2022, all provinces have RUED. Based on the RUED, we can study regional energy needs, existing resources, and implementation plans,' said Arifin.

As of June 11, 2021, Arifin continued, 1 province is registering its RUED-P determination number with the Ministry of Home Affairs, 9 provinces are conducting Provincial Regulation Formulation Program (Propemperda) for Fiscal Year 2021 and consultation at the provincial legislative council (DPRD), and 3 provinces have drafted RUED-P regulation but do not have the consultation budget.

Accelerating the determination of RUED-P is one of the priority programs of DEN for 2021-2025. DEN will supervise and assist with the calculation of national and provincial energy mix as well as determine and safeguard areas with the potential for energy crisis and emergency.

'RUED will open the potential for economic development, as well as guarantee energy availability for investors to invest in a region,' said Arifin.

Addressing the Energy Gap

In implementing its duties, the government through the DEN is committed to expanding and improving access to energy for Indonesian communities, especially those living in remote areas.

'This is what we are doing. The government provides energy to areas that have not had access to energy so far,' said Arifin.

One of the efforts made is by converting diesel power plants to gas ones. This decision had also been made to curb soaring imports of oil fuels. 'This program will utilize our natural gas, especially to meet the needs in eastern Indonesia; the gas can come from Bontang or Bintuni, and in the future it can come from Masela,' explained Arifin.

The existence of gas infrastructure in eastern Indonesia, continued Arifin, is expected to facilitate transportation to areas that soon will have energy access.

Moreover, identification and the use of new, renewable energy sources in each region are also one of the ways to bridge the energy gap.

In the future, the government will focus on the conversion from oil fuels to electricity to meet the global demand for clean energy. One of the challenges currently faced is deciding a carbon tax because the tax will put pressure on domestic industries.

'The conversion from oil fuels to electricity must become a program that we carry out seriously. We can provide incentives from the tax because the electricity is generated by domestic products, we do not import anything. This is something that we need to prioritize, we need to make a measurable road map in the future,' stressed Arifin. (IY)

Headof Bureau of Communication, Public Information Services, and Cooperation

Agung Pribadi (08112213555)

Share This!