Indonesia’s Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) should increase transparency and public involvement to avoid corruption, which could hamper the country’s renewable energy transition.

Indonesia’s reputation for corruption seems to be increasing, with the Transparency International report for 2023 revealing a decrease in the country’s corruption perception index by four points from the previous year. The Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) has the potential to face corruption risk and to fail in its transition to renewable energy if funds are not managed properly. One potential point where corruption could occur is in the early retirement program for coal-fired power plants (PLTU), where collusion to enrich corporations could occur. Corruption could also potentially occur in the development of renewable energy if it becomes an arena for corruption by political and economic elites. To prevent corruption, increased transparency and public inclusion in planning, monitoring and evaluation of JETP programs is necessary. Public information disclosure is essential as it is an entry point for the public to be involved. However, JETP’s funding composition remains unclear, and no information has been disclosed regarding studies on the coal plants that will be retired or the criteria to retire them. While JETP will finance the development of renewable energy, information has not been disclosed regarding what kind of renewable energy will be financed by it. The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources also plans to include fossil gas power projects in the JETP funding scheme, which is not a renewable energy source. The JETP Secretariat can only eliminate the potential for corruption in funding if it starts openly disclosing information and involves the public in program planning to prevent planning being limited to elites. The JETP Secretariat can potentially open the door to corruption if it continues to limit public information. If JETP’s weaknesses continue, the public will be victimized by corruption.