Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources is targeting potential sources of naturally occurring hydrogen, also known as white hydrogen, in Central Sulawesi.The move comes in response to statements by Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Stella Christie regarding Indonesia's significant natural hydrogen potential.”She provided excellent insight into white hydrogen, highlighting significant potential in Tanjung Api, Central Sulawesi,” said Eniya Listiani Dewi, Director General of New, Renewable Energy, and Energy Conservation at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, in Jakarta on Wednesday.She explained that her office is currently initiating a draft ministerial decree that will serve as the legal framework for surveying natural hydrogen potential across Indonesia.”The Director General of Oil and Gas and I are currently drafting the ministerial decree to conduct the official survey,” Dewi said.According to her, natural hydrogen potential has long drawn interest from researchers, but resources remain largely unmapped because hydrogen levels were never measured during past gas exploration activities.”Several years ago, Russian researchers came to Indonesia to investigate. Indonesia actually has substantial potential, but it was simply never measured,” she said.Dewi noted that specific location insights regarding white hydrogen in Sulawesi provide valuable guidance for further technical studies.”When we extracted gas in the past, the hydrogen content was never measured. Professor Stella provided key insight, pointing out the specific location and the vast potential in Sulawesi,” she explained.Dewi stated that developing natural hydrogen could strengthen the regional energy grid by utilizing domestic energy resources for local power generation.”The electricity potential in Sulawesi will be maximized using our own natural resources,” she said.Furthermore, she assured that cross-ministerial collaboration will be carried out to accelerate research and mapping of natural hydrogen sites across the country.