Program to Illuminate the Entire Papua and West Papua

Program to Illuminate the Entire Papua and West Papua

The Government's target is that by the end of 2020 all villages in Indonesia will have been electrified. The goal to illuminate all corners of Indonesia has long been discussed. But the realization is delayed by various kinds of things in the field.

To reaffirm that goal, President Jokowi has taken the necessary steps. One of them is coordination between ministries, given the geographical conditions of the villages which are very heavy. Electricity infrastructure development cannot be carried out.

The targets of the Rural Electricity Program are mostly in the Provinces of Papua and West Papua. The area is in the middle of the forest and hilly areas. It would be very difficult to carry a pole down the mountain and swamp. Therefore, there must be another method so that remote villages are immediately electrified.

This program is not solely aimed at bringing electricity to Papuan villages. More hopeful, with the presence of electricity, the economy and productivity of citizens will increase because they can work more easily. Children can also study until night. That will certainly improve the quality of their education.

To complete this great work, PLN is innovating non-conventionally. Because attracting new networks to these villages will take a long time and will cost a lot. It is very difficult, for example, to pull poles with helicopters or small planes, then carry them along a valley and river.

The terrain in Papua is very heavy. I don't know how many years it can be finished. I don't know how much it costs to make it happen. There is no road, no transportation.

For this reason, PLN uses a spatial optimization and pattern recognition approach. That way, can utilize local energy. To save it, PLN innovates using Electric Tubes or Talis. Similar to Powerbank, but it can light up a house, because this Talis concept is indeed a portable-sized power bank that can be carried.

The Electric Tube itself is a continued innovation in cooperation between PLN and five tertiary institutions, namely UI, ITB, IPB, UGM, and Cendrawasih University. Precisely in 2019 when it launched the "Papua Light" program.

The program involved 500 students from the five tertiary institutions. Talis is the result of the next stage of innovation developed from the program. And the results are encouraging.

While the task of the Ministry of Rural Affairs, Development of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration (Kemendes & PDTT) and local governments in the two provinces of Papua is to support the procurement of Electric Tubes. Thus all parties work according to their capacity.

To ensure budget availability, the Ministry of Finance will make the Rural Electricity Program included in the state budget. Then the Ministry of SOEs ensures good governance (Good Corporate Governance) in its implementation.

This program is also supported by the Presidential Staff Office, Cabinet Secretariat, Bappenas, Ministry of Home Affairs, and Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources. All parties join hands to provide social justice to all Indonesian people.