Energy Vision and Mission of Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates

The three presidential candidates offer quite promising ideas for diversity of thought and approach in issues related to the energy (sector).

The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI. The original article can be found in Visi-misi Energi Capres-Cawapres

KOMPAS/HERYUNANTO

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Like other issues that are considered important, energy was one that was mentioned and discussed by the three presidential-vice presidential candidate pairs on various occasions.

Analyzing the presentations and documents that contain what is called the vision-mission and programs from the three pairs of presidential and vice-presidential candidates that have been circulating publicly, it is quite interesting to find that all three of them seemingly offer promising ideas for diversity in thinking-approaches in energy-related issues (sectors).

The pair of Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar emphasizes on the aspect of energy resilience and places it as a part of the effort to fulfill affordable basic needs availability.

The Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka pair prioritizes the achievement of energy self-sufficiency and places it alongside the achievement of self-sufficiency in food and water as their shared priority.

Meanwhile, the Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD pair emphasized the energy transition within the green economy frame as the main instrument in efforts to realize sustainable living environment.

Energy security

Energy resilience, defined as ensuring the availability of energy and affordable access for the community in the long term, while considering environmental protection (Government Regulation No. 79/2014), appears to be the main agenda for the Anies-Muhaimin pair in the energy sector.

Some of the agendas related to the availability and affordability of energy prices include increasing the national oil stock to a safe level to ensure availability and enable well-planned imports for the best possible prices. Please note that no translation is required for the word "BBM" as it is a forbidden word.

The same thing has been said about establishing cooperation with energy-producing countries to obtain cheap energy, improving the accuracy of energy subsidies by improving data and technological approaches, planning energy production and exports by considering supply security and domestic reserves, and applying the latest technology to maximize production efficiency, including deploying Enhanced Oil Recovery techniques. Please note that if the article contains the forbidden words PBB, PKS, or PPP, they should be left untranslated.

In terms of sustainable energy and environmental protection, some related agendas include promoting energy conservation behavior through policy incentives, implementing the "Indonesia Towards Renewable Energy" program through energy diversification, including bioenergy, geothermal, waterfalls, wind, hydrogen, and solar power, with government support on financing.

Apart from that, another agenda is to maximize the role of geothermal energy by encouraging the discovery of proven reserves by the government to reduce risks and increase investment attractiveness. Opening opportunities for people and communities to produce new and renewable energy (EBT) and market it to the State Electricity Company (PLN).

Encourage innovation in EBT financing with various schemes, including utilizing green financing with competitive interest. Taking advantage of carbon trading opportunities, establishing an Endowment Fund (Resource Endowment Fund), which comes from natural resource income (SDA), which is allocated for EBT research.

With a framework of energy resilience that encompasses aspects of availability, affordability of access-pricing, and sustainability acceptability, the primary agenda of the Anies-Muhaimin energy sector can be described as comprehensive and detailed.

In addition, another agenda is to maximize the role of geothermal energy by encouraging the government to discover proven reserves in order to reduce risks and increase investment appeal.

At the very least, based on what has been outlined so far in the existing vision and mission documents, the contents adequately illustrate a comprehensive technocratic understanding and approach towards critical issues in the Indonesian energy sector.

Not only limited to vision-mission, the agenda that is outlined up to a certain level has also reached its program and implementation strategy. Operational things, such as renegotiating and realizing delayed energy production agreements, including the Masela project, are also included in it.

Energy self-sufficiency

Although not explicitly elaborated in the existing documents on what exactly is meant by energy self-sufficiency; the achievement of energy self-sufficiency as the first priority of the Prabowo-Gibran pair in the energy sector, seems to be intended to be placed within the framework of the green-blue economy, which in its achievement will rely on the production of renewable energy.

Some of the priority programs or agendas accompanying it are mentioned to include developing EBT that is synergized with the implementation of green economy, and continuing and evaluating the development of specialized economic zones that prioritize green and/or blue economy.

Related to that matter, it appears that there are improvement programs on incentive schemes to support production side in order to encourage new energy source reserve exploration activities, programs to establish oil refineries, ethanol factories, as well as gas receiving terminal infrastructure and gas transmission/distribution networks, whether operated by state-owned enterprises or private entities.

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Then there is also a program to expand the conversion of fuel to gas and electricity for motor vehicles, and increase the portion of renewable energy sources in PLN's electricity mix.

Perhaps these two things are related to the goal of energy self-sufficiency, as it is believed to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels - which we can no longer meet on our own - and replace them with renewable energy sources that may still be achieved in a vision of self-sufficiency.

The aspect of economic-energy mastery and sovereignty is also highlighted in existing programs such as the return of national oil and mining governance in accordance with the mandate of Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution and the continuation of natural resources-based downstreaming and industrialization.

From what has been reflected so far in the vision-mission document of Prabowo-Gibran, it can generally be said that the elements of spirit and idealism about what kind of energy sector Indonesia aspires to (self-sufficiency) are the most prominent ones.

The existing document does not delve deeper into its strategy and implementation instruments, as well as it does not sufficiently address one or two fundamental issues in Indonesia's energy sector, such as subsidies, for example.

Energy transition

In their vision and mission document, the Ganjar-Mahfud pair places the energy sector within the framework of their mission to accelerate the realization of sustainable living environment through green economy. It can be indirectly said that the energy sector here is part of the economic-environmental system, with energy transition and reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as its main programs.

Some of the programs included in the energy transition of the Ganjar-Mahfud pair are the use of renewable energy sources (EBT) as a renewal generator which has a potential capacity of approximately 3,700 GW gradually for domestic energy needs, so that the portion of EBT in the energy mix is ​​25-30 percent by 2029.

Included within is a transition towards Net Zero Emission (NZE) focused on sustainable environmental programs such as forest preservation, reduction of air pollution from vehicle and industry emissions, and limitation of plastic usage.

Indirectly, it can be said that the energy sector here is part of the economic-environmental system, with energy transition and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction as its main programs.

Integrating environmental, social and governance (Environmental, Social, Governance/ESG) risk assessments as an inseparable part of the economic system is also one of the programs outlined. There are also movement programs such as the Energy Independent Village, Climate Awareness Village (KadarKlim) and the movement to destroy plastic and fight pollution through the reduce, reuse, recycle, repair and refabricate (5Rs) approach.

From what is stated in the documents, vision-mission and program of the Ganjar-Mahfud couple on energy issues can be said to be very concise and practical. In essence, it seems to only focus on one main issue, namely energy transition related to the reduction of GHG emissions, and only includes program names with little elaboration on them.

However, within that succinctness, its vision and mission are actually very complex to achieve as it speaks about green energy-economy.

Ideas-approaches offer

Summarizing the brief analysis above, the approach towards the energy issue presented by the three presidential-vice presidential candidates can be simplified into a few words as follows: energy resilience-technocratic, energy self-sufficiency-idealist, and practical energy transition.

Red threads and intersections among their proposed ideas, the most prominent of which relates to the utilization and utilization of new and renewable energy sources (EBT). Another intersection is that all three are essentially nationalists in the sense that they always prioritize national interests in the ideas they propose.

The approach may be slightly different.

Technocrats will tend to prioritize the rules of techno-economic science that are suitable for their needs and rationality. Idealists may tend to use a "nationalistic" economic ideology approach, with some involvement of populist elements. Meanwhile, practical ones may be more oriented towards focusing on one or two priority issues that are considered to fulfill the organization of governance, both in substantive and political aspects.

Examining only what is so far listed in the vision-mission documents of the three presidential and vice presidential candidate pairs is not sufficient. Often, there will be more things that are not explicitly stated in the document that later become the agenda that is carried out.

However, referring to what is written as this vision-mission statement, at least we as the people can get an initial picture of the ideas and approaches offered.

Also read: 75 Percent of Additional Power Generation Will Be Based on Renewable Energy

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

Pri Agung Rakhmanto

Pri Agung Rakhmanto Teacher at the Faculty of Earth and Energy Technology, Trisakti University, Founder of the ReforMiner Institute