Indonesia's Prabowo Unveils 100 GW Solar Plan in Bali, Targeting Three-Year Completion

Indonesian President Prabowo announced on August 25 in Bali the launch of a plan to develop 100 gigawatts of solar power capacity, targeting completion within three years. Indonesia's current total installed capacity stands at about 108 GW, of which solar power accounts for only 1.5 GW, with the remainder coming mostly from coal. As of April 2026, renewables, including hydropower and geothermal, accounted for 17.9 percent of installed power capacity.

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said that once the solar projects are fully built, they could save Indonesia 739,000 billion rupiah (about RMB 28 billion) annually in energy subsidy spending. Indonesia is a net oil importer, and domestic fuel consumption is heavily subsidized. Speaking at the launch event, Prabowo said that with 100 GW of solar capacity, combined with existing geothermal resources, new natural gas field discoveries, and higher oil extraction, Indonesia should no longer need to import even a single barrel of oil.

In his state-of-the-nation address in mid-August, the president said Indonesia plans to build 30 GW of solar capacity in 2026 alone, including a 1 MW solar plant in every village across the country. The move would also help the country retire 13 GW of diesel power plants ahead of schedule.

The August 25 launch ceremony covered 14 solar projects, of which two are already operational, six are under construction, and six will be opened to investors. In addition, Indonesia will build battery energy storage systems nationwide to compensate for the gap in solar generation at night.

Bahlil also disclosed that state utility Perusahaan Listrik Negara will purchase solar power at 5 to 6 US cents per kilowatt-hour, compared with about 3 to 4 cents per kilowatt-hour for thermal power procurement.