Opening The Ministry Of Energy And Mineral Resources, Every 1 Megawatt Of EBT Requires 30 Workers

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) stated that green economic policies and green investment focused on developing clean energy are able to create new jobs that are more sustainable.

Director General of New, Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Dadan Kusdiana said that based on figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), new and renewable energy (EBT) has provided jobs for 12 million people in 2020.

"The formula is that 1 megawatt requires around 30 new workers, so if we encourage EBT, we will create job opportunities," he said in a statement quoted by Antara, Thursday, February 10.

Dadan explained that jobs in the clean energy sector have been categorized as labor-intensive industries due to the intervention of electric vehicle technology, installation of solar panels, energy efficiency, and increased waste management.

IRENA noted that global workforce growth in the clean energy sector continues to experience a significant increase from year to year. The figure increased by about 65 percent from 2012 which only absorbed 7.3 million workers.

This figure continued to grow to 8.5 million people in 2013, then five years later it increased to 11 million people, and there were 11.5 million people in 2019.

Start-ups or startups that are now booming are growing into one of the factors influencing the increase in the workforce in the new renewable energy and energy conservation sub-sectors.

Dadan said that the existence of the start-up company is considered capable of encouraging innovation and investment in the development of clean energy in Indonesia.

According to him, the government must be able to guarantee that even though it is a pilot, the quality can still be accounted for. Not only that, the government will also ensure a new clean energy business scheme in order to expand employment in this field.

"We make sure the rules of the game are clear in terms of standards, quality, and specifications, between sellers and buyers must be protected," said Dadan.