Indonesia officially launched its program to deploy 100 GW of solar power by 2029 , with an initial batch of 14 photovoltaic projects totaling 5.3 GW and spread across six provinces of the country.
President Prabowo Subianto inaugurated the initiatives on August 25 as the first step in a plan that aims to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and transform Indonesia's electricity system on a large scale.
The roadmap initially envisions reaching 17 GW of photovoltaic capacity , supported by approximately 33 GW of battery energy storage systems (BESS) . However, the ultimate ambition is considerably greater.
“ We will build 100 GWp of solar power capacity. We take this very seriously and our goal is to reach 100 GWp within three years ,” Subianto stated.
The complete program would require around USD 73 billion , equivalent to 1.14 trillion Indonesian rupiah, according to official estimates.
Of the 100 GW planned, 20 GW will correspond to centralized projects , while another 80 GW will be distributed among 80,000 villages in the country.
This second block will be accompanied by 320 GWh of battery storage , making the BESS one of the central pieces of the strategy to integrate such a volume of distributed generation.
The first projects are spread across West Java, Central Java, Bali, the Bangka Belitung islands and the Riau islands , among other locations within the six provinces mentioned by the program.
Among the announced facilities are the 300 MW Gilimanuk solar power plant, the 134 MW Gajah Mungkur floating photovoltaic project, and the 920 MW Sembur village plant, in addition to the 780 kW Pulau Rengit project.
The government also aims to accelerate development through regulatory simplification and the availability of land. An inter-ministerial effort has already identified nearly 24,000 hectares on the island of Java suitable for photovoltaic projects.
The scale of the program is not solely driven by decarbonization goals. Authorities estimate that the rollout could prevent the consumption of up to 6 million kiloliters of diesel per year and significantly reduce energy subsidies.
The Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Bahlil Lahadalia , projected annual savings in subsidies of approximately 73.9 trillion rupees and the creation of about 5.52 million jobs .
Indonesia also intends to link the deployment of new capacity with the development of its own supply chain.
“ Indonesia already has a domestic industry for solar panels and battery energy storage systems, so with the 100 GWp solar power plant we will really be able to stand on our own two feet ,” Lahadalia said.
In that direction, the sovereign wealth fund Danantara Indonesia secured USD 1.4 billion in March 2026 to develop a photovoltaic module factory with a production capacity of up to 50 GW per year , which is scheduled for completion by the end of this year.
The challenge will be to convert ads into connected GWs.
The scale and, above all, the speed proposed by the Government also raise questions about the capacity for execution.
The Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) endorsed the launch, but cautioned that reaching 100 GW in less than four years is a highly ambitious goal and will require a national implementation structure capable of mobilizing tens of GW annually.
“ The success of the 100 GW Solar Photovoltaic Energy Program should not be measured by the number of projects that are started, but by the number of GW of solar photovoltaic energy that can be built, connected to the grid and reliably generating electricity before 2029 ,” said its executive director, Fabby Tumiwa .
To achieve this, the institute calls for a clear legal framework , with defined objectives, responsibilities, financing mechanisms and contracting rules, in addition to the harmonization of national energy planning with that of PLN.
It also plans to publish an annual portfolio of projects detailing locations, capacities, acquisition schedules and storage needs until 2029, with the aim of providing greater predictability to investors.
Another critical area will be the electricity grid. The IESR considers it necessary to expand and reinforce transmission and distribution, advance digitalization, incorporate batteries, and increase the system's flexibility to absorb the new generation.
Added to this is the need to use competitive and bankable tenders , develop a local content policy that does not excessively raise costs, and broaden participation beyond projects driven mainly by PLN, incorporating local governments, cooperatives, communities, companies, and independent producers.
The challenge is proportional to the size of the goal. The 5.3 GW corresponding to the first 14 projects represent just the starting point of a strategy that aims to rapidly increase the country's photovoltaic capacity.
If Indonesia manages to implement the planned 100 GW, the program will combine 20 GW of large power plants with 80 GW distributed and up to 320 GWh of batteries , in addition to new local manufacturing industrial capacity.
The race has already begun. Now, as the sector itself warns, the test will be to transform political ambition and announced projects into tens of gigawatts actually built, connected, and generating electricity before 2029 .