- In their 2022 article, “Contested Transition? Exploring the Politics and Process of Regional Energy Planning in Indonesia,” published in Energy Policy, Abidah B. Setyowati and Jaco Quist examine how Indonesia’s transition toward low-carbon energy is shaped not only by technical planning but also by political negotiations among actors operating at different levels of government.
- Drawing on interviews, policy analysis, and case studies, the authors argue that regional energy planning is a contested process in which national and provincial actors compete, negotiate, and collaborate to influence future energy pathways.
- The study finds that while decentralization has created opportunities for local governments to promote renewable energy initiatives, the effectiveness of these efforts is strongly influenced by political leadership, civil society participation, institutional arrangements, power relations, and local political-economic structures.
- Ultimately, the authors conclude that successful energy transitions require more than supportive regulations; they depend on the ability of subnational actors to navigate complex governance dynamics and mobilize local political support for change.
MARITIMEPOSTS.COM – The global climate emergency has issued a final warning: the era of fossil fuels must end. This mandate is nowhere more volatile than in Asia, the epicenter of projected global emissions and the final stronghold for new coal-fired power plants.
Within this landscape, Indonesia stands as a perplexing paradox. It is a nation blessed with staggering renewable energy potential, yet it remains shackled to coal. While Jakarta broadcasts ambitious commitments to the Paris Agreement, the real struggle for the soul of Indonesia’s grid is happening far from the capital.
The front lines of this energy war are the Regional Energy Plans (RUED). These provincial-level documents are not merely technical spreadsheets; they are the hidden battlefields where the future is being negotiated, contested, and—in some cases—quietly revolutionized against the weight of a centralized state.
The Jakarta-Centric Muzzle: Transition as a “Site of Struggle”
For decades, the Indonesian state has treated energy as a high-stakes national security issue. This paradigm has birthed a Jakarta-centric energy bureaucracy that effectively muzzles provincial innovation under the guise of preventing supply failure. The state-owned utility, Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), maintains a vertical monopoly that treats local governments as unpredictable actors rather than partners.
However, the RUED process reveals that the transition is not a technical task of swapping turbines; it is a “multi-scalar” political struggle. It is a process of “re-scaling” governance where provinces are carving out new spaces of agency to subvert national mandates that favor the status quo.
“Scales are sites of struggle where broader questions of political economy are being worked out.”
By viewing scale as fluid, we see that the energy transition is being won or lost in the way provincial actors negotiate the “re-scaling” of power—shifting the boundaries of who gets to decide what fuels the local economy.
The Coal Trap vs. The Tourist Gaze: Why Economic Lifebloods Dictate Green Destiny
A province’s psychological and political capacity to go green is dictated by what it bleeds. The contrast between Bali and South Kalimantan exposes a profound “disjuncture” between national rhetoric and regional reality.
- South Kalimantan (The Extractive Stronghold): Here, coal is viewed as the “backbone” of existence. The numbers are staggering: coal mining accounts for up to 26% of provincial GDP, with 789 mining permits covering 33% of the land area. This is a “Coal Trap” reinforced by deeply entrenched patron-client networks. Many local politicians and bureaucrats are personally involved in the industry, creating a policy environment where coal reliance is projected to increase to 51.5% by 2050, despite renewable targets.
- Bali (The Green Visionary): Dependent on the “tourist gaze,” Bali’s economy relies on an international reputation for pristine beauty. This creates a “more conducive environment” for transition. Driven by a governor with a 100% renewable vision and travelers demanding eco-friendly facilities, Bali has transformed energy independence into a matter of provincial pride.
The lesson is clear: transition isn’t just about resource availability; it’s about breaking the “lifeblood” dependency of the local political economy.
Solar Sabotage: Rooftop PV as an “Act of Resistance”
In the face of a centralized monopoly, the rise of the “prosumer”—citizens who both produce and consume their own power—is a revolutionary act. In Bali, rooftop solar PV is no longer just a green alternative; it is a tool used by civil society to subvert the PLN monopoly.
Activists and the private sector view solar as a “quick win” that bypasses the need for massive, state-controlled infrastructure. By utilizing village funds (national transfers of 42,000–70,000 per village) and soft loans from local cooperatives, Balinese communities are building localized energy markets that simply ignore Jakarta’s coal-heavy business models. As one private sector insider bluntly stated, installing solar is an:
“Act of resistance to counter such strict regulations… the hardest challenge is the persistent view that prioritizes centralized and on-grid business models.”
Double Agents in the Ring of Fire: The Human Factor of Policy
Standard policy analysis often ignores the “multiple positionalities” of the people on the ground. In Bali, local PLN officers often act as “double agents” or intermediaries. They are caught between their corporate identity—as representatives of a Jakarta-based utility—and their identity as Balinese residents who want energy independence.
This tension is most acute regarding the Java-Bali transmission line. Jakarta and PLN want to increase coal power transmission from Java from 400 MW to 1,400 MW to offload Java’s massive oversupply.
However, Balinese residents and local officers see this as a liability. The transmission cable sits in the earthquake-prone “Ring of Fire,” making reliance on the Java grid a high-risk gamble. These local officials often work behind the scenes to help the provincial government negotiate against their own employer’s coal-centric plans, proving that energy policy is “performed” through personal negotiation, not just administrative decree.
Regulatory Guerrilla Warfare: “Forum Shopping” to Bypass Red Tape
When national laws create bottlenecks, savvy subnational governments engage in “forum shopping”—strategically selecting specific legal arenas or regulations to legitimize their local goals.
While national regulations often restrict provincial budgets from being used for renewable infrastructure, Bali and other proactive regions have utilized clever workarounds:
- Ministry of Home Affairs Regulation 50/2020: Local officials have invoked this specific regulation to “legitimize” their discretion in allocating budgets for infrastructure maintenance, effectively creating a legal shield for local renewable spending.
- Locally Owned Enterprises (BUMD): By establishing these entities, districts can legally collaborate with the private sector and set aside budgets that would otherwise be blocked by regional autonomy laws.
These “everyday negotiations” and trial-and-error tactics show that the real movement in the energy transition often happens through the creative exploitation of regulatory loopholes.
Conclusion: Beyond the National Grid
The Indonesian experience proves that a “top-down” approach to the green energy war is destined for stalemate. National frameworks provide the target, but local leadership, civil society, and “prosumer” resistance are the engines of actual change. Energy planning is never a neutral exercise; it is a visceral political struggle where provinces are finally claiming their role in a low-carbon future.
As we track the global transition, we must ask: If the transition to clean energy is a site of struggle, are we looking at the right battlegrounds, or is the real revolution happening in the provincial offices we’ve long ignored?
