Enviro News Asia, Jakarta — Indonesia’s Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Bahlil Lahadalia, urged the accelerated deployment of solar power plants to expand electricity access in remote and outermost islands, as part of the government’s strategy to achieve nationwide electrification.
The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources targets full electricity coverage for all villages and hamlets across Indonesia by 2029. Solar Power Plants (PLTS) have been identified as a key solution for isolated islands where fuel supply and logistics remain major challenges.
Speaking in Jakarta on Thursday, 22 January, Minister Bahlil emphasized that solar energy provides a practical and sustainable option for regions that are difficult to access due to geographical and weather constraints.
The push for PLTS aligns with Indonesia’s energy mix target for the 2026 fiscal year, which aims to increase the share of New and Renewable Energy to between 17 and 21 percent. In 2025, the renewable share in the national electricity mix stood at 15.75 percent.
The solar electrification initiative complements the national Village Electricity Programme, which in 2026 targets the addition of 22,179 new electricity customers across 372 locations nationwide. In 2025, the programme supplied electricity to 77,616 households in 1,516 locations.
The government is also expanding the New Electricity Connection Assistance Programme (BPBL), increasing the 2026 target from 250,000 to 500,000 households. Minister Bahlil stated that the adjustment reflects requests from members of the House of Representatives’ Commission XII and aims to ensure broader and more equitable access to electricity.
The revised target supports directives from President Prabowo Subianto to expand the reach of national electrification programmes, particularly in underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost regions. The ministry plans to refocus its 2026 budget allocations to prioritise electricity access in these areas.
Through the combined implementation of solar power, village electrification, and subsidised electricity connections, the government seeks to reduce energy inequality and ensure reliable electricity access for communities living on remote islands. (*)
