Jakarta, December 12, 2025 – President Prabowo Subianto stated that Indonesia will build 100 GW of solar power plants plus battery storage systems. The government is projected to install 1 MW of PV and 4 MW of batteries in 80,000 villages across Indonesia. This initiative is said to be an integrated part of the Koperasi Desa Merah Putih, which was launched in July 2025. 

Fabby Tumiwa, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR), in an interview with IDX Market Review entitled “PLTS, the Solution to Realizing the 1 Village 1 Megawatt Program,” sees this as one of the government’s efforts to improve the quality of energy access in Indonesia. Villages located in the Underdeveloped, Frontier, and Outermost areas (daerah 3T) typically rely on diesel generators to meet their energy needs. Operating diesel power plants presents several challenges, including high operating costs, which can reach Rp 6,000-10,000 per kWh. This cost increase is primarily due to the high cost of transporting fuel to remote areas. Furthermore, weather conditions such as storms can hamper diesel distribution. PLN’s current 3 GW of diesel power plants could be a quick entry point for the “one village, one megawatt” solar power plant (PLTS) program. 

However, Fabby emphasized the importance of comprehensive mapping before starting solar power plant construction in villages. He stated that two things must be ensured before selecting a solar power plant location: first, ensuring that local residents have economic activity so that the electricity generated by the solar power plant will support their economic activities. 

“This economic activity must be planned and implemented first as part of the demand creation process for electricity, considering that rural electricity demand currently tends to be low,” Fabby said. 

Second, consideration must be given to rural locations with limited human resources. Local human resources in villages must be trained and assisted to become solar power plant operators and maintenance personnel. Collaborating with companies providing solar power installation services (Engineering Procurement Construction – EPC) can be a short-term strategy while building the capacity of local residents through training and mentoring.