Presidential and vice-presidential candidate pair number 3, Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka, intend to continue the current government’s policy of early retirement for steam power plants (PLTU).
Deputy Chairman of the Prabowo-Gibran National Campaign Team (TKN), Eddy Soeparno, believes that the early retirement of PLTU will not result in the loss of thousands of jobs, as these workers will be absorbed by the development of new renewable energy power plants (EBT).
According to a study by the Center of Economic and Law Studies, the closure of PLTU Cirebon-1 and Pelabuhan Ratu could affect up to 14,022 jobs. However, if the closure is followed by the construction of EBT, the available job opportunities could reach 639,269.
The Prabowo-Gibran campaign prioritizes carbon capture over emission reduction. The existing PLTU will be equipped with carbon capture technology before being retired.
Additionally, the campaign promises to expand the diversification of power sources to natural gas. Natural gas is seen as an interim source of energy before fossil power plants transition to EBT.
Strengthening the natural gas network, including its transmission, will allow the government to transport electricity from surplus areas to deficit regions.
The Climate Transparency Report 2022 highlights the dominance of fossil fuels in Indonesia’s electricity sources in 2021. Approximately 81 percent of the country’s electricity came from coal, oil, and natural gas, with coal contributing 62 percent. In contrast, renewable energy made up only 19 percent of the electricity mix, with hydro power being the largest contributor at 8 percent, followed by biomass and waste at 5.3 percent, geothermal at 5.1 percent, onshore wind at 0.1 percent, and solar at 0.1 percent.
Prabowo-Gibran aims to address this imbalance by promoting renewable energy and ensuring a smooth transition in the energy sector if elected.
