JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia aims to increase the proportion of renewable power in its 2021-2030 national electricity plan to at least 48%, from 30% in the 2019-2028 plan, a senior energy ministry official said on Friday.
The national electricity supply plan (RUPTL) is a power supply guideline set by the government for state utility company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) for a 10-year period, but the plan is regularly revised.
“We want this RUPTL to be greener. Meaning, the renewable portion will be bigger than in the previous RUPTL,” Rida Mulyana, the energy ministry’s director general of electricity, said in a statement.
Under the current RUPTL, coal is expected to power 48% of the electricity needs of Southeast Asia’s largest economy. Indonesia is a major producer and exporter of thermal coal.
To reach the planned renewable power guideline, Rida said diesel power plants would be converted into renewable plants, while old plants will be retired, among other efforts.
PLN said last week that it would gradually retire its coal-fired power plants as part of its plan to reach carbon neutrality by 2060.
Simultaneously, the energy ministry is also designing a separate programme to meet a net zero emission goal, Rida said.
“However, what is also important is how we meet the energy demand that is believed will increase, while on the other hand reduce the operation of coal plants and then replace them,” he said.
(Reporting by Fransiska Nangoy; Editing by Robert Birsel)
