Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition for Clean Energy (KMSEB) has put forward a series of recommendations on Indonesia’s Draft Law on New and Renewable Energy (NRE Bill). The recommendations were submitted to the House of Representatives (DPR RI) through the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) faction. The coalition’s proposals were presented during a hearing with the PDI Perjuangan faction at the Nusantara I Building, the DPR-MPR Complex in Jakarta, on 19 May 2026.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Chair of the House Legislative Body (Baleg) Sturman Panjaitan, PDI Perjuangan Baleg Working Group Head Nyoman Parta, PDI Perjuangan Commission IV Working Group Head Sonny Tri Danaparamita, and several PDI Perjuangan lawmakers, including Bonnie Triana.
Representatives of the coalition included the Indonesian Parliamentary Center (IPC), the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR), the Indonesia Research Institute for Decarbonization (IRID), Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Indonesia, the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL), and Trend Asia.
“In principle, the NRE Bill is expected to advance a just energy transition. We therefore hope that the PDI Perjuangan faction will champion these aspirations during the legislative process. Without a commitment to justice in renewable energy development, the bill risks overlooking the human rights of Indonesian citizens,” said Arif Adiputro, Researcher at IPC.
KMSEB emphasized that the NRE Bill should serve as a catalyst for accelerating a just energy transition by placing accountability, transparency, and public participation at its core. This includes ensuring open access to information, meaningful involvement of affected communities in decision-making processes, and the establishment of bottom-up monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.
“The NRE Bill should be a regulation that accelerates community-scale renewable energy development so that people can enjoy equitable access to energy. However, the current draft instead perpetuates an extractive system under the guise of clean energy. The values and principles of a just and sustainable energy transition should form the foundation of this legislation,” said Nur Herliati, Renewable Energy Campaigner at Trend Asia.
The coalition believes that the NRE Bill should focus exclusively on renewable energy and should not include the category of ‘new energy,’ given that several technologies classified as new energy in the current draft remain fossil fuel-based, including coal-derived products. This could further prolong Indonesia’s dependence on fossil fuels. The coalition warned that the bill must not become a vehicle for expanding corporate control over the energy sector.
Regarding nuclear energy, which is also categorized as “new energy” in the draft bill, the coalition argued that it should remain a last-resort option and does not need to be regulated under the NRE Bill, as it is already governed by a separate legal framework.