Japanese PM Ready To Support Indonesian Government In Reaching Energy Self-Sufficiency

Photo: Doc. Antara

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stated that the Japanese government is ready to support Indonesia's efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in energy, which is one of the priority programs of President Prabowo Subianto's government.

One of the supports from Japan is provided through the framework of the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC).

"We want to encourage cooperation in the field of resources and infrastructure to maintain security guarantees for energy and decarbonization through various channels," said PM Ishiba when delivering a joint statement on the results of his meeting with President Prabowo at the Bogor Presidential Palace, Bogor City, West Java, quoted by Antara, Saturday, January 12.

On the same occasion, PM Ishiba also emphasized Japan's commitment to working with Indonesia on decarbonization projects, developing new and renewable energy, as well as mining critical minerals.

"Furthermore, in the economic sector, it has been agreed to increase stable energy supply cooperation, and in order to assist Indonesia's economic development in a sustainable manner, (Japanese Government, ed.) has confirmed cooperation in the field of decarbonization and energy, as well as critical mineral mining fields such as the Muara Laboh PLTP under the AZEC (Asia Zero Emission Community)," said PM Ishiba.

Unit 1 of the Muara Laboh Geothermal Power Plant (PLTP) in South Solok, South Sumatra, has been operating since 2019 and has produced electricity with a capacity of 85 MW. PLTP Muara Laboh is one of 15 PLTP development projects in Indonesia supported by the AZEC cooperation framework.

PLTP Muara Laboh is operated by PT Supreme Energy Muara Laboh (SEML) which is a joint venture company for Indonesian and Japanese companies. SEML is currently in the stage of developing Unit 2 of PLTP Muara Laboh and Unit 3 of PLTP Muara Laboh, each targeted to operate in 2027 and 2033.

PM Ishiba visited the Bogor Palace, Saturday, along with PM Yoshiko Ishiba's wife and the Japanese Government delegation to meet with President Prabowo. At the Bogor Palace, the arrival of PM Ishiba was greeted by a ceremony to welcome the troops, accompanied by a boom of honorary cannons.

Presiden Prabowo kemudian mengajak PM Ishiba bertemu empat mata (troome-t Marijute) di ruang kerja presiden. Kemudian, keduanya lanjut mengikuti pertemuan bilateral bersama delegasi Pemerintah Jepang dan Pemerintah Indonesia di Ruang Garuda, Istana Kepresidenan Bogor.

During the meeting, the two agreed on several points of cooperation, essentially the Japanese government supports President Prabowo's government priority programs, including food self-sufficiency, energy self-sufficiency, downstreaming and industrialization, building defense capabilities, and eating nutrition for free.

"I met President Prabowo face-to-face for the second time, and I think this meeting is an important opportunity and is also very valuable to go one step forward towards further improvement in relations between Japan and Indonesia," said PM Ishiba conveying the results of his meeting with President Prabowo.