The year 2024 recorded various dynamics related to energy transition and climate justice in Indonesia. The year was marked by important moments, such as the carbon policy debate, the revision of the rooftop solar PV regulation at the beginning of the year, as well as Indonesia's role at COP29, to President Prabowo Subianto's statement at the G20 Summit in Brazil on 20 November 2024 that the Republic of Indonesia will stop all use of fossil energy including early retirement of coal power plants in the next 15 years. In the same momentum, Prabowo also mentioned that Indonesia would build renewable energy power plants with a capacity of more than 75 gigawatts in the same period. Despite these commitments, controversies such as increasing power plant capacity and involving community organisations in mine management reflect the challenges in achieving a just and sustainable energy transition.
This report reveals trends, narratives and public sentiment based on digital conversation analysis and media monitoring. Narratives in the mass media focus heavily on government policies, key figures such as President Jokowi and President-elect Prabowo-Gibran, and the initiatives of state-owned enterprises such as PLN and Pertamina. Issues such as nickel downstreaming and PLTU policies are often raised in a macro context, but do not fully resonate with audiences on social media.
Conversations on social media show a different pattern, with spikes in discussion occurring on specific issues such as the presidential debate, record high temperatures in Makassar, and the dissolution of the Global Climate Strike action. Public sentiment towards environmental and renewable energy issues tends to be neutral, indicating a lack of organic discussion and active engagement. Narratives are often influenced by buzzers to increase the visibility of certain topics, such as the nickel downstreaming policy.
This report identifies significant information gaps. Mass media focus more on big policy issues, while audiences seek practical and locally relevant information, such as the definition of renewable energy and its impacts. In addition, public misperceptions of fake energy solutions such as CCS and co-firing point to the need for better education.
As a strategic move, it is important to simplify content to make it easier for lay audiences to understand, strengthen the narrative on clean energy solutions to reduce misperceptions, and ground big policies into micro content through locally relevant digital strategies. A successful energy transition in Indonesia requires close collaboration between the government, private sector, and civil society, as well as strategic communications to bridge the information gap and build broader public support.
