REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The National Campaign Team (TKN) of Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates No. 2 Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka believes that the energy transition will not have an impact in the form of job cuts. Vice Chairman of TKN Prabowo-Gibran, Eddy Soeparno, explained that the jobs available for the Steam Power Plant (PLTU) can be maintained because he believes that technological developments make the process of capturing the carbon emissions of the power plant cheaper.

“The technology to capture carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants takes longer, economically yes, the more we can implement because it will be cheaper,” Eddy said when he met after attending a discussion session titled “Capital Connect: Indonesia Elections & Economics” in Central Jakarta, Tuesday (30/1/2024).

In addition, according to him, the process of early retirement of the power plant is not easy because it requires large costs and it is necessary to consider new and renewable energy (EBT) that is ready to replace bricks. Eddy, who is also member of parliament, added that the EBT development process can go hand in hand with the use of coal for the operation of power plants that can capture carbon emissions.

“The important thing is that there are no carbon emissions, that's what matters. Whether it's from coal, whether it's from garbage, whether it's from biomass is the second problem but it shouldn't be carbon,” Eddy said.

Therefore, it believes that in addition to the absorption of labor by the green jobs sector, jobs in the fossil energy sector, especially power plants, can still be maintained if carbon capture technologies can be fully realized soon.

“(Labor) is absorbed by green jobs and will be retained by the existing power plants if indeed the adoption of the technology can be done quickly to capture carbon emissions,” Eddy said.

Eddy mentioned that Prabowo-Gibran remains committed not to building a new power plant and to continue efforts to retire the existing power plant early. Eddy explained that presidential candidate Prabowo-Gibran also offered the use of transmission to expand the gas-powered electricity grid as energy transitions from fossil-based to renewable energy.

“So the gas network will be strengthened throughout Indonesia, including transmission, how can we bring electricity from areas that have surplus electricity to areas that lack electricity,” Eddy said.

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