PALMOILMAGAZINE, JAKARTA — President Prabowo Subianto has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening energy and food self-sufficiency in Papua through the accelerated development of renewable energy and bioenergy. The statement was delivered during a briefing at the Papua development acceleration meeting at the State Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday (December 16, 2025).
In his remarks, Prabowo highlighted the rapidly declining cost of solar power technology, which he said makes it an ideal solution for remote and hard-to-reach areas. He also pointed to the growing potential of small-scale hydropower or mini-hydro plants that can be deployed in regions with limited infrastructure access.
“Solar power technology is becoming increasingly affordable. This is a solution for remote areas. There is also water power on a mini scale that can be utilized in regions that are difficult to reach,” the President said.
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According to Prabowo, optimizing locally available energy sources will strengthen regional self-reliance while reducing dependence on fuel oil shipments from other parts of the country—an approach that has long resulted in high logistics and distribution costs. He stressed the importance of building independent energy systems so that regions are no longer burdened by expensive fuel distribution.
Beyond renewable electricity, the President also underscored the importance of developing agriculture-based energy sources. He identified palm oil as a strategic commodity that can be processed into biofuels, including biodiesel. In addition, cassava was cited as a crop with strong potential as a feedstock for ethanol production.
“We hope that palm oil will also be cultivated in Papua to produce fuel from palm oil, as well as ethanol. Cassava can also be processed into ethanol,” Prabowo said.
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The President set an ambitious target for the next five years, aiming for all regions across Indonesia to stand on their own feet through food and energy self-sufficiency. With this strategy, the government believes it can significantly reduce spending on fuel imports.
Prabowo revealed that Indonesia currently spends around Rp520 trillion annually on fuel imports. Cutting those imports by half, he said, could generate savings of approximately Rp250 trillion per year. With effective management, he added, each regency could potentially unlock economic value worth trillions of rupiah through energy independence.
“Just imagine if we could cut fuel imports by half. How many hundreds of trillions could we save every year,” he remarked.
Emphasizing that the initiative is not merely rhetoric, Prabowo said the government has prepared concrete measures to ensure steady progress toward national energy and food independence.
“We have a plan, and we will prove that we are moving in that direction,” the President concluded. (P2)
