Political Issues Kental, Rice Cooker Program Doesn't Solve Energy Transition Problems

Illustration of the rice cooker (Photo: dock. Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Economist and Executive Director of the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios) Bhima Yudhistira assessed that the program to distribute electrical cooking utensils (AML) in the form of a rice cooker does not solve the energy transition problem in Indonesia.

Instead of wanting to increase the use of clean energy and suppress LPG imports, Bhima sees that the program is solely for political purposes.

"Well, specifically for this rice cooker program, I think the political atmosphere is thick, so this is a populist policy ahead of the election," Bhima told VOI when met after a media briefing on "Indonesian Power Up Movement: Young People Collection for Climate Commitment for Presidential Candidates" in Jakarta, Thursday, October 19.

Bhima said the rice cooker program was not a solution to the energy transition problem. Because, he said, the program does not target the poor.

"Those who enjoy the wrong target, right, are not the poor, not the advice of the recipients of the rice cooker, so there must be a subsidy restriction for the upper middle class," he said.

He added, if the government wants to reduce the 3 kg LPG import deficit, the existing budget should be used for other things, such as to build transmission or subsidized data collection needs.

"If it is indeed overloaded (over supply) the problem is that PLN's electric power is absorbed, we offer it, that's because the industries in Java and Bali have to close the PLTU for the industrial estates they make, then PLN enters, because oversupply will definitely have more competitive prices for the industry," he said.

"If Java and Bali are full of electricity because demand is down again, build transmission to the island of Sumatra. PLN is a big burden, you know, every 1 gigawatt (GW) over PLN's electricity supply covers IDR 3 trillion, now it's oversupply 7 GW, meaning around IDR 21 trillion in financial expenses, it can't be finished with a rice cooker," added Bhima.

Furthermore, said Bhima, there are actually many things that can be a solution for the energy transition in Indonesia, but depending on the policies taken by the relevant stakeholders.

"Well, so a lot, what can be done, so don't jump into divided rice cookers which are irrational in the end," he concluded.