Enter Nusantara Initiative: Involve Mentawai Youth to Manage PLTS Independently

Photo: Dok. Enter Nusantara

JAKARTA - Efforts to encourage equitable energy transition in the leading, outermost, and lagging regions (3T) continue to be a concern for various parties. One of the latest initiatives comes from Enter Nusantara through a research dissemination activity entitled "Synergy of Equitable Energy Transition: Dissemination of Research Results and Installation of Enter Nusantara Solar Power Plant in Mentawai" which was held at Favehotel Padang, West Sumatra, on April 23, 2026.

This activity is a space for sharing field research results as well as reflections on the implementation of the Energy School program which has been carried out from October to November 2025 in the Mentawai Islands. The program focuses on increasing the capacity of local young people in understanding and managing Solar Power Plant (PLTS) technology.

In his presentation, Enter Nusantara researcher, Gianluigi Grimaldi Maliyar together with Renewable Energy Technician, Rizky Ahmad Fauzi emphasized that the community-based energy approach is the key to ensuring the sustainability of the program in areas such as Mentawai. Based on the research findings, solar energy is considered more adaptive than the biomass project that had previously been carried out but did not operate optimally.

This discussion also involved various stakeholders, ranging from non-governmental organizations, representatives of local governments, to local communities. The representative of the Mentawai youth, Ignasius, who is a graduate of the Energy School program, is an example of how increasing local capacity can contribute directly to the sustainability of energy infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the West Sumatra ESDM Office through Head of the Office Helmi Heriyanto, acknowledged the challenges in transferring knowledge to the community and opening up space for the younger generation to propose more effective management schemes. The ESDM also offers an Operational Cooperation (KSO) option with PLN as a strategic step to ensure certainty and standardization of electricity tariffs for the community.

Representative of the civil society organization Yayasan Citra Mandiri Mentawai, Rifai Lubis, highlighted the challenges faced by the Mentawai people who are at the crossroads between energy needs and protection of customary rights.

"Energy development cannot be separated from the social, cultural, and living space context of the local community. If we talk about participation, then those who are directly affected must be invited to dialogue, not just administrative representatives," he said, quoted Monday, May 4.

During the forum, Enter Nusantara also explained the follow-up plan, including the renovation of the PLTS infrastructure in Matotonan Village which is currently more than a decade old and needs an update. In addition, there are efforts to expand access to clean energy to remote villages with a community-based management model.

This step is part of a broader effort to address the challenge of dependence on diesel-based energy that is vulnerable to price and distribution fluctuations. In the midst of the push towards national renewable energy targets, a community-based approach is considered to be one solution that is not only technically sustainable, but also in line with the lives of local communities.

Furthermore, Enter Nusantara encourages the government to ensure the fulfillment of the right to land for the community through a fair and transparent process. This step must be accompanied by efforts to transfer knowledge sustainably. This is important so that the Mentawai people are not only objects of development, but are able to become a subject that is empowered to manage energy resources independently.

Through this dissemination, research results are not only academic documents, but also a foothold to encourage cross-sector collaboration in realizing an inclusive and equitable energy transition in Indonesia.