Enviro News Asia, Jakarta — Indonesia is strengthening its electricity transmission infrastructure to support the expansion of renewable energy, as the government targets a significant increase in renewable power capacity over the coming years.
The 2025–2034 Electricity Supply Business Plan (RUPTL) of state-owned electricity company PLN targets an additional 42.6 gigawatts (GW) of new and renewable energy capacity, representing 61 percent of planned additional generation capacity. President Prabowo Subianto has also announced a plan to add 100 GW of solar power capacity in less than five years.
To support these targets, the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR), with support from the British Embassy in Jakarta, launched the MENTARI Grids project on August 13, 2026.
MENTARI Grids is part of the Indonesia Low Carbon Energy Transition Programme (MENTARI), a strategic partnership between Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) and the British Embassy in Jakarta aimed at accelerating the country’s transition toward clean and low-carbon energy.
The project focuses on strengthening transmission and interconnection infrastructure to accommodate the growing capacity of renewable power generation.
Raden Raditya Yudha Wiranegara, MENTARI Grids Project Director and IESR Director of Research and Innovation, said the project would pursue four main workstreams.
These include strengthening institutional and technical workforce capacity, preparing priority transmission corridor and interconnection projects, improving renewable energy integration into electricity planning and regulations, and mobilizing financing for transmission and interconnection projects.
“We believe there can be no transition without transmission,” Raditya said.
He explained that Indonesia’s geographical characteristics as an archipelagic country create a mismatch between renewable energy potential and electricity demand centers. The country also has more than 600 isolated or weakly interconnected electricity systems, creating additional fiscal pressures.
Raditya also highlighted the limited adoption of variable renewable energy (VRE) and substantial differences in electricity generation costs. In eastern Indonesia, generation costs can reach five times those in Java, he said.
Peter Rajadiston, Minister-Counsellor for Development for Indonesia, ASEAN and Timor-Leste at the British Embassy in Jakarta, emphasized the importance of electricity networks in delivering clean energy to communities.
He said the United Kingdom had spent decades developing an increasingly interconnected electricity system, including through subsea transmission networks linking different areas.
“The UK experience shows that developing such an electricity system requires long-term planning, effective regulation, modern system operations, and strong coordination among governments, utilities, regulators, and investors,” Peter said.
Through MENTARI Grids, he added, the UK aims to share relevant experience and lessons with Indonesia while working with PLN and other stakeholders on transmission planning, electricity network modernization, and national grid interconnection.
The MENTARI Grids project will run until March 2028. IESR will work with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and PLN to strengthen institutional capacity, support VRE integration and power system planning, prepare projects and feasibility studies, mobilize financing, and provide investment advisory support.
The initiative is intended to help address infrastructure and planning challenges that could otherwise limit Indonesia’s ability to integrate increasing amounts of renewable electricity into the national power system. (*)
