TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The government continues to find ways to provide and use new renewable energy sources. Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignatius Jonan said the government focuses on developing new and renewable energy as governed by Energy Law No.30/2007 and Government Regulation No.79/2014 on National Energy Policy.
"The president always wants efficiency in energy prices. People must be able to afford electricity—that's important," Jonan said in a written statement published by the ministry's Communication, Service and Public Information Bureau, Wednesday, December 21.
According to Jonan, new and renewable energy in Indonesia is still produced in small to medium scales, thus not very competitive in nature. The minister stressed the importance of improving production activities.
"All new and renewable energy sources developed in Indonesia should be able to compete with traditional energy sources (oil, gas, and coal)," he said.
Jonan said that new renewable energy becomes competitive if produced using technologies that are appropriate to the source areas' characteristics, such as geography, infrastructure, and markets.
"Indonesia is an archipelago, so we must harness the energy potential in the each area. We are a country of islands; we don’t have a national grid like the United States," he said
The National Energy General Plan (RUEN) is targeting for a 23-percent new renewable energy mix by 2025. The Plan also aims at increasing power plants running on renewable energy to 45 Giga Watts by that year. These targets, Jonan said, can be accomplished by diversifying energy sources and conserving them.
YOHANES PASKALIS
