TEMPO.CO, Manila-The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $500 million loan, including $100 million from the ADB-administered ASEAN Infrastructure Fund, to help stimulate Indonesia’s energy sector, support the government’s reform agenda, and unleash the sector’s potential as a key engine of sustainable economic growth, the bank said in a media release Friday, October 2.

“Indonesia’s energy sector has suffered severe underinvestment due to long-standing subsidies on fuel and electricity. This has resulted in poor access to modern forms of energy despite the country’s vast energy resource endowment,” said Pradeep Tharakan, Senior Energy Specialist in ADB’s Southeast Asia Regional Department.

“The project will help the government to enhance energy security, as well as increase supply from renewable sources and natural gas in the future energy mix.”

The funds will support President Joko Widodo’s reform agenda to improve overall governance in the energy sector by lowering subsidies, adopting cost-recovery-based tariffs and boosting the performance of state-owned enterprises such as PLN, the state-owned electrical utility.

The program will also support government efforts to scale up renewable energy through price incentives for geothermal, biomass and small hydropower, and set up an energy efficiency market place through improved standards and labels for electrical appliances, and requirements for energy efficient buildings and municipal facilities.

The ADB loan will be complemented by about $800 million in potential co-financing from key development partners.

NZM