President Prabowo Targets RI to No Longer Import Fuel, 13 PLTD to be Closed

President Prabowo Subianto. (BPMI Setpres doc)

MAGELANG - President Prabowo Subianto targets Indonesia to no longer import fuel oil or fuel in the next two to three years.

The target was conveyed by the head of state when inaugurating the electric commercial vehicle assembly facility of PT VKTR Sakti Industries in Magelang, Thursday, April 9.

Prabowo said the government would carry out a 100 gigawatt electrification program. The program, said the President, is expected to be achieved in two years. One of the impacts is the cessation of the use of diesel power plants or PLTD.

"Later there should be no more power plants using diesel, using solar," said Prabowo.

He said that by closing 13 PLN-owned PLTDs, Indonesia could save 200 thousand barrels per day. Currently, according to him, Indonesia still imports around 1 million barrels of fuel per day.

"By closing the PLTD, we save 20 percent directly," he said.

Prabowo emphasized that Indonesia must move to clean energy and renewable energy. Therefore, electrification is considered an important step to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

He assessed that Indonesia had strong capital to enter that phase because the national energy resources were very large. In a global situation that was said to be full of crises, Prabowo admitted that he was still vigilant, but chose to be optimistic.

According to President Prabowo, energy resilience is a basic requirement if Indonesia wants to remain independent and survive as a big country. Therefore, reducing energy imports is no longer enough to discuss, but must be carried out through concrete decisions.

In addition to electricity, Prabowo also said the government would invest heavily in the processing of alternative fuels, including avtur from palm oil and palm oil.

In front of industry players, Prabowo emphasized that Indonesia is heading towards energy independence. He called this step as part of an effort to make Indonesia stand on its own feet.