REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, KUTA -- The Government through Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) continued to encourage natural gas to become electricity source. Director General of Oil and Mineral Resources of Ministry of ESDM, IGN Wiratmaja Puja, said that large gas potential must be able to meet the needs of Indonesian people in electricity.

"In Indonesia, there are still 14 percent of our society who do not consume electricity. The percentage is small, but when it multiplied by 250 million people, then it means there are 40 million people do not get access to electricity," he said in a Workshop of National Gas of Stakeholder 2015 in Kuta, Bali, Monday (2/11).

According to him, if the Government could push natural gas as a source of electricity, it could help realization of 35 thousand megawatt (MW) power plant project. In the power plant project, 20 thousand MW would come from coals, 13 thousand MW of it would be using fuels from natural gas, and 3,700 MW from renewable energy.

"The target is 1,000 MMSCFD or 13 thousand MW will be using fuel from natural gas. It is for industry and electricity," he added.

Wiratmaja said that the role of natural gas in Indonesia to become electricity had been a big challenge. So, the main thing to do was to change the paradigm of natural gas, not only as a commodity that can gain revenue, but as a driver of economic growth.

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