Jokowi Determines to Develop Power Plant Using Renewable Energy

TEMPO.CO, Cilacap - President Joko Widodo or Jokowi expressed his rejection should the country's power plants continuously depend on fossil energy. Jokowi determined to develop a power plant using renewable energy.

“We do not want to depend on coal, fossil energy,” said the President today, February 25, while inaugurating Expansion 1x660 MW Steam Power Plant located in villages of Karangkandri, Slarang, and Manganti, Cilacap, Central Java.

He mentioned that many power plants generated using wind, water, and even steam had been developed in various regions of Indonesia. One of them is the wind power plant in Sidrap, Jeneponto which Jokowi called similar to that of in Netherland with many huge windmills. “This will be expanded in other regions that have great wind resources,” he added.

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Moreover, Jokowi continued, Indonesia tends to have high intensity of wind flow. Not to mention water and steam potential that could be developed as alternative energy for power plants.

“I really appreciate [this steam power plant], it greatly adds electricity supply in Java and Bali,” Jokowi remarked.

The President said that 98.2 percent of the country’s electricity had reached houses in remote villages. “It only remains a little part, and by the end of this year, 99.9 percent of all Indonesian residences must obtain electricity,” Jokowi noted, asserting that electricity is not only important for the economy and the industry but also the society in remote areas.

During the occasion, Jokowi was accompanied by several state officials including Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Minister Ignasius Jonan, SOE Minister Rini Soemarno, State Secretary Pratikno, the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) head Sofyan Djalil, and Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo.

ANTARA