Collaboration between the Faculty of Engineering (FT) Universitas Brawijaya (UB) and FT Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) Yogyakarta held an Energy Transition Seminar. Taking the theme of an Academic Perspective Towards a Healthy Electricity Industry to Support the Energy Transition, this activity was held in the Prof. Ir. Suryono Auditorium FTUB on November 28, 2023.

Opened by the Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs Prof. Dr. Imam Santoso, this National Seminar presented three main speakers; Sugeng Prawoto (Chairman of Commission 7 DPR RI) who attended online via Zoom, Wiluyo Kusdwiharto (Director of Renewable Energy PT PLN), and Prof. Ir Tumirang MEng PhD (Chairman of the Drafting Team UGM Academic Manuscript).

As explained by the Dean of FT UB, Prof. Ir Hadi Suyono ST MT PhD IPU ASEAN Eng, as an academic, he wants to push for regulatory implementation of the target for the use of new renewable energy (EBT) to reach 23% of the energy used by 2025.

According to him, this activity is also an effort to encourage and contribute fully in terms of thinking for strategies for implementing EBT. Not only UB, but this event was also attended by various universities such as UGM, UI, and several energy associations.

“This seminar examines the energy transition. There were 301 participants, online and offline,” said Prof Hadi.

On the same occasion, PT PLN’s Director of Mega Projects and Renewable Energy, Wiluyo Kusdwiharto, said that his party agreed with the Government that the energy transition must be carried out in 2050.

This program will involve the private sector because the costs for the transition reach 10,000 trillion Rupiah. Plans to build a PLTU will also be canceled, to be replaced with hydroelectric and wind power plants.

“This plan shows PLN’s strong determination to carry out the energy transition well,” said PLN’s Director of Renewable Energy.

This planning is carried out continuously, gradually, slowly, there should be no rush. Because in the future there will be a risk of transitional power outages, because in the future we will no longer use PLTUs and will be replaced with renewable power plants.

Meanwhile, Prof. Ir Tumiran M Eng PhD as the UB academic text drafting team, said that EBT development will also be carried out massively outside Java. Each of these islands has diverse natural resources that can be used to generate renewable energy electricity.

“President Jokowi has also inaugurated several hydroelectric power plants to replace PLTUs,” said Prof Tumiran.

He believes that the concept of energy transition can be referred to in the 2014 Government Regulation (PP), which targets that by 2025 EBT must have reached 23%, and by 2050 it must reach 50%. This PP is in line with the plan but electricity consumption is not as expected, it is not growing significantly, especially in the industrial world. Meanwhile, international pressure to implement the PP is quite large.

Even though the energy transition can be a burden on state finances. The series can lead to electricity prices soaring uncontrollably. So it is necessary to encourage EBT to emerge domestically, lest the energy transition can take place but is forced to import.

“Research from universities is needed to support this policy, so that everything is not imported,” he said.

So according to Prof. Tumiran, it is important to provide socialization through seminars like this so that the acceleration of the energy transition can run as expected.

It didn’t stop at three speakers, this activity from morning to afternoon continued with 9 other speakers divided into two or two sessions.

Moderated by Prof Ir Sarjiya ST MT PhD IPU, the first session presented Prof Dr Ir Sasongko Pramonohadi DEA (UGM Professor), Ir Agus Kuswardoyo ST MM QRGP GRCP GRCA (GM PLN UID East Java), Prof. Hadi Suyono, and Abdul Ghofar SE MSi DBA Ak (Dean of FEB UB).

Meanwhile, in the second session, Eddie Widiyono (General Chair of PJCI), Dr Ir Agus Puji MEng IPU ASEAN Eng. (National Energy Council), Bambang Praptono (Chair of the MKI Expert Council), Dr Agustina Merdekawati SH LLM (UGM Legal Expert), and Dr Ir Nanang Hariyanto MT (ITB Expert) and moderated by Prof Dr Ir Iwa Garniwa MT.

After the presentation, the activity ended with a question and answer session and a group photo. (mic)