New Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Minister Bahlil Lahadialia said he will continue the programs that had earlier been carried out by his predecessor Arifin Tasrif and vowed to take actions to increase oil and gas production efficiency.
“We will carry on programs that have run well. What is not perfect, we will make it perfect,” Bahlil said after the handover ceremony at the ESDM Ministry on Monday, August 19, 2024.
“Based on the direction of President Joko Widodo and President-elect Prabowo Subianto, I also have to prepare a strategy to increase Indonesia’s oil lifting which is now continuously falling,” he added.
The minister also said that he will immediately prepare locations to build the country’s LPG industry.
“Indonesia has continued to import LPG. The ESDM ministry will collaborate with the Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Task Force (SKK Migas ) and Pertamina to develop the LPG industry,” Bahlil said.
The new ESDM minister also said that he will pursue for the improvement of the upstream oil and gas investment regulation.
“What we should improve is whether there should be a sweetener so that we will be competitive with other countries,” he cited.
“Unless Indonesia improves the regulation, the country will be left behind by countries that do the explorations right now,” he added.
In the mineral and coal sector, Bahlil said, he will continue the development of downstream industry.
“In the future, licensing will be more transparent, so there will be no debates,” he said.
Meanwhile, in electricity, Bahlil said, he will encourage the development of renewable energy sector and carbon capture storage industry.
Conflict of interest
Bahlil dismissed trhe allegations that his appointment as energy and mineral resource minister will create a conflict of interest with his position as businessman.
“By the time I became a government official, I have resigned from all positions in my companies,” he said.
