Prabowo Targets 100 GW of Solar Power in 4 Years, Diesel Power Plant 13 GW to be Abandoned

CIKARANG - President Prabowo Subianto targets the construction of a 100 gigawatt solar power plant in four years. For this year alone, the target set is 30 gigawatt.

The target was conveyed by Prabowo during the launch of the National Electric Motor or Molinas in Cikarang, Bekasi, West Java, Thursday, August 13.

"We will also build electricity from solar energy of 100 gigawatt. And this must be implemented in four years, but this year alone our target is 30 gigawatt," said Prabowo.

At the same time, Prabowo asked PLN to reduce its dependence on diesel-fueled power plants.

"PLN must abandon diesel power plants, approximately 13 gigawatt must be immediately abandoned," he said.

Prabowo associated the acceleration of the development of domestic energy with efforts to reduce Indonesia's dependence on imported energy.

He said Indonesia has so far spent around 28 billion to 30 billion US dollars per year to import fuel.

The government is also preparing changes to the use of other fuels. Prabowo said LPG would soon be replaced with CNG or compressed natural gas.

"We will soon replace LPG with CNG," he said. In addition to solar energy, Prabowo said research on other energy sources is continuing. One of them is natural hydrogen which he said has a large reserve in Indonesia.

"From week to week our scientists, our researchers find extraordinary results. The reserves of hydrogen, natural hydrogen, are very large," said Prabowo.

He estimated that the strengthening of domestic energy sources could take place in the next three to five years.