Kupang, December 11, 2025 – Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Indonesia, together with the Secretariat of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) Indonesia and the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL), organized the Regional Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Just Energy Transition in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). This forum served as a strategic dialogue space to strengthen stakeholders’ regional-level understanding, gather input from local contexts, and advance implementation of the Comprehensive Investment and Policy Plan (CIPP) JETP.
The event was attended by representatives from the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, the NTT Climate Change Working Group, state-owned enterprises (BUMN) and regional-owned enterprises (BUMD), civil society organizations, academics, and local communities. Discussions were dynamic, highlighting the challenges and opportunities of the energy transition in NTT, including uneven energy access, the need for regional economic diversification and transformation, strengthening human resource capacity, and the use of renewable energy to benefit the community. The forum emphasized that energy transition cannot be viewed merely as a technical agenda, but as a social and economic process that directly impacts people’s lives.
In the opening session, the JETP Indonesia Secretariat presented the framework for a just energy transition that serves as a reference for JETP implementation. It was explained that the energy sector is the primary contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion, making the transition to a clean energy system urgent. However, this transition must be carried out while considering social and economic impacts to avoid creating new inequalities or worsening the conditions of already vulnerable groups. This framework includes baseline condition assessments, transition impact analyses, action plan development, and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, all of which require coherent policies, fair financing, multi-party partnerships, and transparent and inclusive governance.
In this context, JETP also emphasizes the importance of economic diversification and transformation as outlined in Standard 9 of the CIPP. This approach aims to reduce regional dependence on high-emission sectors and encourage workforce shifts toward more productive, low-emission, and climate-resilient sectors. For regions like NTT, economic transformation must be designed with consideration for island geography, infrastructure constraints, and the socio-economic structures of communities still dominated by informal and subsistence sectors.
Mouna Wasef, Head of the Research and Advocacy Division at PWYP Indonesia, emphasized that a just energy transition cannot be separated from the mainstreaming of GEDSI (Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion). Based on various research and studies by PWYP Indonesia, energy transition policies and projects in Indonesia still tend to be technocratic and gender-neutral, risking the neglect of inequality realities experienced by women, people with disabilities, indigenous communities, and other vulnerable groups. In many regions, including NTT, women still bear a heavy burden in household energy, from collecting firewood to exposure to kitchen smoke. Yet their involvement in energy-sector planning and decision-making remains minimal. Without a systematic GEDSI approach, the energy transition risks becoming an elite agenda and failing to address the community’s real needs.
Mouna also encouraged the integration of GEDSI perspectives throughout the energy transition cycle, from policy planning and project design to financing schemes and monitoring and evaluation. This mainstreaming includes providing disaggregated data, meaningful involvement of vulnerable groups in decision-making processes, strengthening local actor capacities, and creating equitable economic benefits. With this approach, the energy transition is expected not only to reduce emissions but also to contribute to poverty reduction, improved welfare, and strengthened social justice in the regions.
The discussions also highlighted the strategic role of BUMD and the younger generation in driving energy transition in NTT. Presentations from Rita Kefi, Gender and Inclusion Officer at Humanis, indicated that the share of new and renewable energy in PLN NTT’s electricity system remains around 17 percent, despite the region’s substantial potential for solar, wind, and ocean current energy. This condition indicates a gap between potential and utilization that needs to be addressed through appropriate policies and investments.
BUMDs, such as PT Flobamoa, are well-positioned to take a more active role in developing renewable energy in the region, whether as operators, managers, or strategic partners on these projects. However, the challenges include limited capital, institutional capacity, and the quality of human resources. Therefore, institutional reforms, strengthening GEDSI-sensitive human resource capacity, and close collaboration with village-owned enterprises (BUMDes), cooperatives, and multi-party partners are needed. In this role, BUMD not only provides clean energy but also creates opportunities for inclusive green jobs locally.
Civil society experiences at the grassroots level also enriched the discussions, including best practices shared by Haris Oematan, Director of CIS Timor, through the “We for JET” program in Kodi, Southwest Sumba Regency. This program promotes the adoption of energy-efficient stoves to reduce household reliance on firewood. The developed energy-efficient stoves have proven capable of reducing cooking time by 30-40 percent and significantly reducing kitchen smoke that impacts health, especially for women and children. Economically, households can save around Rp70,000 per week, with affordable stove production costs and a payback period of only one to two months.
Haris emphasized the importance of strengthening public education, engaging women in stove design and production, standardizing quality, and training local technicians to enable replication and sustainability. This practice shows that the energy transition does not always have to start with large-scale projects; it can also be achieved through community-based solutions that are sensitive to local needs and GEDSI perspectives.