UNS Economist Requests Electric Stoves Don't Burden The Community

JAKARTA - Economist from Sebelas Maret University (UNS) Surakarta Lukman Hakim asked that the plan to shift subsidized LPG to electric stoves by the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) should not burden the community.

"It will depend on the electricity tariff, if it is still cheap, it will not burden the community," he said in Solo, quoted from Antara, Friday, June 24.

As for the high or low electricity tariffs, he added, it depends on the manufacturing process and the materials used for electricity production. According to him, what makes electricity prices expensive is that so far PLN has bought a lot of electricity from private parties.

"Like buying from Paiton, it becomes a burden for PLN," he said.

Related to this, he assessed that the government needs to start diversifying energy, one of which is by optimizing solar energy.

"That has not been seriously worked on, why not just focus on that first. Then the community can use a cheaper source of electricity. Coal is expensive, especially when there is extraordinary demand from abroad (for coal)," he said.

According to him, what the government needs to do is mass-produce solar cells. Thus the cost can be lower.

"The government diversifies renewable energy first so that it is not too expensive. If it is too expensive it will only transfer the risk," he said.

In addition, he continued, what must be considered is that the government makes clarity about the installed electricity capacity, because when people have switched to electric stoves, their dependence on electricity supply will be even greater.

"So people use more electrical energy," he said.