JAKARTA. President Joko Widodo or Jokowi requested that hundreds of villages in the Eastern Indonesia region be immediately provided with electricity, even though the mapping of the area was not yet clear enough.
Jokowi also asked the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) to identify hundreds of villages. "I want to clearly identify which villages are adjacent to the [electricity] network," he explained in a limited meeting last weekend.
With this identification, said Jokowi, it will be easier to determine the electrification strategy. Whether to use the electricity network extension, hydro mini-grid, or a Diesel Power Plant (PLTD).
Meanwhile, Ministry of ESDM said that currently there are 433 villages that do not yet have access to electricity in 4 provinces (Papua, West Papua, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), and Maluku).
At the end of 2019, the electrification ratio in Papua Province was recorded at 94%, West Papua 99%, NTT 85%, and Maluku 92%. (KR/AR)