KESDM Calls Sumatra Island To Kalimantan The Highest EBT Potential Area

EBT (unsplash)

JAKARTA - The application of new and renewable energy (EBT) in Indonesia is a strategic step in realizing energy independence and preserving the environment.

New renewable energy (EBT) refers to alternative energy originating from nature that can be updated continuously and managed using new technology. EBT examples include sunlight, wind, water or ocean currents, bioenergy to geothermal.

Indonesia itself is a country with enormous EBT potential. In fact, Indonesia is able to achieve energy independence if the EBT is managed optimally.

Related to this, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) said, there are at least three regions in Indonesia with the highest national EBT potential and utilization in the country.

First, being on the island of Sumatra with the potential for EBT utilization of 1,240.64 gigawatts (GW), then followed by Java Island 696.58 GW.

"The island of Sumatra is 34 percent EBT there and is followed by Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and so on," said the Director General of New, Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation (EBTKE) of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Eniya Listiani Dewi when giving a speech at the Carbon Neutrality (CN) Mobility Event by Toyota: Beyond Zero Festival at Gambir Expo, Jakarta, Friday, February 14.

Even though it has great potential, Eniya does not deny that the utilization of EBT is still not optimal until now. The reason is, until December 2024, the national use of EBT is still around 14.88 GW.

Eniya said that the largest national use of EBT came from solar power.

"So, this (utilization) is quite good, but it is still very small between the potential we have, which is still around 0.4 percent. So, this is the achievement in December 2024 yesterday, yes," said Eniya.

"But, from the potential we have, the biggest is solar. Well, this is what we want to explore," he concluded.