Civil society organizations have criticized the preparation of RUEN 2026–2035 and called for energy policies that reduce fossil fuel dependence while protecting communities.
Civil society organizations under the Civil Society Coalition for Clean Energy (KMSEB) have voiced criticism and recommendations regarding the ongoing preparation of the National Energy General Plan (RUEN).
The criticism was raised during a media discussion titled “Forest Fires, Pollution, Power Outages: What Is RUEN’s Answer?”, held on Jalan Pegangsaan Barat, Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday (August 26, 2026).
The discussion featured Maulida Zahra, Head of the Environmental Governance and Pollution Control Division at ICEL; Beyrra Triasdian, Renewable Energy Campaigner at Trend Asia; Rina Prasarani, Chairperson of Advocacy and Awareness Raising at HWDI; and Ariyansah NK, Researcher at PWYP Indonesia. National Energy Council (DEN) member Mohammad Fadhil Hasan also attended the discussion, which was moderated by IPC Researcher Arif Adiputro.
Maulida Zahra, Head of the Environmental Governance and Pollution Control Division at ICEL, said Indonesia’s need to pursue an energy transition is becoming increasingly urgent. According to her, the energy sector accounts for 26 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
In Indonesia, the energy sector is the largest contributor to GHG emissions, particularly from electricity generation at 43 percent, transportation at 25 percent, and industry at 23 percent. All three sectors remain heavily dependent on fossil fuels.
Maulida also highlighted the inconsistency between RUEN targets and government policies concerning coal-fired power generation. Several policies, including the National Energy Policy (KEN), Presidential Regulation No. 112 of 2022, the 2025 National Electricity General Plan (RUKN), and regulations issued by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, have prohibited the construction of new coal-fired power plants.
“Coal-fired power plants contribute to air pollution and public health impacts, causing around 6,500 premature deaths every year. If coal-fired power plants are gradually phased out by 2040, this could prevent 182,000 deaths caused by air pollution and save Rp1.9 quadrillion in public healthcare costs,” Maulida said in a statement received on Thursday (August 27, 2026).
According to Maulida, RUEN plays an important role because it serves as a reference for development planning and will influence policies at lower levels.
“RUEN is a reference for development planning, and it will influence policies below it. RUEN itself must be aligned with the policy direction of reducing new coal-fired power generation,” she said.
The coalition also argued that the preparation of RUEN must take into account the increasingly severe impacts of the climate crisis in Indonesia. National energy policy should serve as an instrument to reduce emissions, decrease dependence on fossil fuels, and ensure that the energy transition does not create new ecological damage or inequalities.
The civil society representatives argued that the expansion of natural resource exploitation in the energy sector is placing increasing pressure on spatial planning and the environment. GHG emissions, deforestation, ecosystem degradation, and conflicts over people’s living spaces demonstrate that energy policy can no longer focus solely on meeting energy demand and pursuing economic growth.
RUEN must address these issues, including by correcting an energy development model that has long relied on natural resource exploitation and generated significant social and ecological costs.
RUEN should not merely adapt to the impacts of the climate crisis but must also strengthen the energy sector’s contribution to reducing emissions.
This need is becoming increasingly urgent because the current energy system and resource extraction activities continue to generate serious social and ecological problems. Post-mining environmental rehabilitation obligations have not been fully implemented. Thousands of abandoned mine pits remain unreclaimed, some of which have resulted in fatalities, while mining activities continue to trigger land conflicts and threaten communities’ living spaces.
Therefore, integrating energy governance with fair spatial and land governance is considered essential. RUEN must not only address energy sources and energy demand to achieve KEN targets, but also regulate spatial and land use, impacts on the environment and communities, and who bears the ecological costs of energy development.
PWYP Indonesia Researcher Ariyansah NK highlighted that the development of new and renewable energy (EBT) remains far behind its target. The target of 45.2 GW of EBT capacity by 2025 resulted in only 14.08 GW being realized, or less than half of the established target.
The commitment to end fuel imports by 2025 has also not been achieved. Imports still reached 28.89 million kiloliters, or 34.15 percent of total national fuel demand. Similar conditions have occurred with targets in the coal sector.
According to Ariyansah, these conditions demonstrate that Indonesia remains heavily dependent on fossil fuels despite DEN members’ commitment to developing renewable energy. He argued that DEN’s position has not been sufficiently strong in effectively overseeing RUEN implementation.
“This represents a failure of the previous DEN. DEN’s role in overseeing RUEN was not strong enough. This must become a note and an evaluation for the future,” Ariyansah said.
Regarding coal, Ariyansah called for RUEN to retain provisions on a moratorium on Mining Business Licenses (IUP) and Special Mining Business Licenses (IUPK) in primary natural forests and peatlands located in conservation areas, protected forests, production forests, and other designated land-use areas.
He also called for coal production limits not to legitimize the national overproduction that has occurred and exceeded the levels stipulated in RUEN.
According to data presented by PWYP Indonesia, coal accounts for 51 percent of CO₂ emissions. In addition to CO₂, coal production also contributes to increased methane (CH₄) emissions. In 2024, emissions associated with coal mine development were estimated to be potentially eight times higher than the Indonesian government’s official figures.
“The moratorium must remain in RUEN. It must also be accompanied by environmental restoration efforts. Coal mining must take spatial planning and land governance into account. In practice, it must not be allowed to take away people’s living spaces, drive deforestation, or cause environmental destruction, all of which fundamentally contradict the climate mitigation agenda,” he said.
Ariyansah added that the national coal production target stipulated in the current RUEN—400 million tonnes—remains relevant. In his view, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources should refer to this figure when determining national coal production.
In terms of public participation, the preparation of RUEN 2026–2035 is considered to have yet to adequately involve groups directly affected by mining, power plants, industrial areas, land conflicts, and environmental damage resulting from energy development.
Beyrra Triasdian, Renewable Energy Campaigner at Trend Asia, said that the available public consultation spaces were not yet sufficiently open, accessible, or inclusive to ensure that public input meaningfully influences the substance of the policy.
In addition, RUEN is considered to remain overly focused on lists of power plant projects and energy development activities rather than building a just energy transition.
“The revision of RUEN is taking place very quickly, behind closed doors, and with minimal meaningful participation from communities that have long borne the impacts of an extractive energy development model. RUEN should establish clear quantitative targets for each type of energy while ensuring that its policy direction does not repeat old patterns that damage people’s living spaces and disregard experiences at the local level,” Beyrra said.
According to her, amid the climate crisis, RUEN needs to accelerate a just transition toward renewable energy, establish a roadmap for fossil fuel retirement, and close the door to solutions presented as low-carbon technologies that could potentially perpetuate dependence on fossil fuels.
Meanwhile, RUEN 2026–2035 is considered not yet to have adequately incorporated the principles of Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) as an important part of its preparation process.
Rina Prasarani, Chairperson of Advocacy and Awareness Raising at HWDI, said that persons with disabilities are often positioned merely as policy objects and beneficiaries. In reality, they are active energy users whose needs, experiences, and perspectives need to be taken into account in the formulation of national energy policy.
“RUEN must fully apply GEDSI principles, not merely in terms of equal physical access, but also by ensuring that persons with disabilities are meaningfully involved and included in social protection from the AMDAL stage through to evaluation,” Rina said.
DEN member Mohammad Fadhil Hasan called for meaningful participation from all stakeholders in the RUEN preparation process. He also urged the public to proactively submit their input rather than waiting to be invited.
According to Fadhil, the RUEN preparation process must be completed no later than October 2026, in accordance with Government Regulation No. 40 of 2025.
Regarding the continued shortfall in EBT targets, Fadhil said that internal and external dynamics had affected their achievement. One of the factors is that, under normal conditions, renewable energy remains more expensive than conventional energy.
DEN also considers subsidies for conventional energy to be one of the challenges in accelerating the transition toward EBT.
“Under normal conditions, renewable energy is more expensive than conventional energy. If we move too quickly, accessibility may be achieved, but affordability may not necessarily follow. We cannot do both at the same time—promote renewable energy while continuing to subsidize conventional energy,” Fadhil said.
Source: Tirto