Govt expands rural energy access with community programs

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources is expanding energy access nationwide through community-focused initiatives, including rural electrification, local oil well management, free electricity connections, and solar power development.

"Programs such as community oil wells, rural electrification, free electricity connections (BPBL), and solar power aim to accelerate energy access nationwide," Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

He thanked stakeholders supporting the national energy agenda under President Prabowo Subianto's administration.

"These achievements would not have been possible without our business partners' contributions. I sincerely thank you for your dedication," Lahadalia said during the 2025 Subroto Awards Night in Jakarta on October 24.

The Subroto Awards recognize contributions to Indonesia's energy and mineral resources sector. This year, the ceremony coincided with the sector's 80th anniversary and honored 71 winners across 52 categories.

Lahadalia said Indonesia's 2025 oil lifting target of 605,000 barrels per day was met through cooperation between the government and industry under flexible production-sharing contracts.

He credited regional administrations for identifying and managing around 45,000 community oil wells, which will be restructured in collaboration with cooperatives, MSMEs, and regional-owned companies.

"These partnerships empower communities to manage resources responsibly while ensuring environmental and safety standards," Lahadalia said, adding that contractors must purchase oil at 80 percent of the Indonesian Crude Price.

In the power sector, state-owned PT PLN is tasked with electrifying 5,700 villages and 4,400 hamlets still without electricity. The initiative, under rural electrification and BPBL programs, aims to connect all households to the national grid.

"Who knows, one of these children from remote villages might become Indonesia's president. After 80 years of independence, no village should remain without electricity. That is the spirit of President Prabowo's pro-people programs," he said.

Lahadalia urged mining companies to adopt responsible environmental practices, including reclamation guarantees in their work plans and budgets.

He reaffirmed the government's commitment to clean energy, noting plans to build 1.5-megawatt solar power plants in each of 70,000 villages, potentially generating up to 100 gigawatts nationwide.

The ministry also introduced a new logo, "Pancar Dipa," symbolizing energy as a source of life and reflecting innovation and optimism for Indonesia's energy future.

Lahadalia expressed confidence that ongoing collaboration among government, industry, and communities would be key to achieving sustainable and equitable energy resilience.