REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Obstacles that hamper the development of the power plant project to produce 35,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity must be handled so their construction can be completed in five years according to plan, President Joko Widodo said.
Chief of the Presidential Communications Team Teten Masduki said in a press statement here on Thursday that during a limited cabinet meeting, the president demanded that a regulation be issued to accelerate the development of the project to product 35,000 MW of electricity.
The regulation is needed to overcome various hindrances in the way of efforts to expedite the development of the power plants, such as licensing and land clearance.
"The compensation given as part of land clearance should benefit the people. The amount should not be based merely on the value of the land as a tax object," Jokowi was quoted as saying.
At the limited cabinet meeting, they also discussed the importance of the issuance of a presidential regulation on the program to develop power plants to produce 35,000 MW of electricity. The program also covers generator procurement, transmission, substations, financial health of state-owned power firm PLN, primary energy, legal certainty, and consistency that obliges regional governments to support the electricity development plan.
Masduki further noted that the president had also asked for the development of renewable energy, such as hydro, wind and geothermal energy, to be prioritized to reduce dependent on coal.
In the projects, the head of state also asked for priority to be given to local content in the use of products.
On Thursday, President Joko Widodo, better known as Jokowi, led a limited cabinet meeting to discuss the development of power plants with a combined capacity to produce 35,000 MW of electricity.
"I want reports on the project to construct power plants with a combined capacity of 35,000 MW of electricity from the energy and mineral resources minister, state-owned enterprises minister, and the president director of PLN," Jokowi stated during the meeting at the Presidential Office.
The meeting was attended by Vice President Jusuf Kalla, President Director of PLN Sofyan Basir, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Indroyono Susilo, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Sofyan Djalil and National Police Chief General Badrodin Haiti.
Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said, State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno, Deputy Finance Minister Mardiasmo and Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya also attended the meeting.
In May, Jokowi launched a program to build power plants to produce 35,000 MW of electricity.
The project related to the construction of the power plants is expected to be realized within the next five years. They will be spread across 240 locations in Indonesia.