Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia aims to provide electricity access to about 8,000 unelectrified locations by 2029, as the government accelerates infrastructure spending to reach remote villages and underserved regions, Energy Ministry officials said Wednesday.Speaking at the HIPMI Power Development Forum 2026 in Jakarta, Energy Ministry official Jisman P. Hutajulu said most areas lacking electricity access were located in isolated villages and remote regions.“There are still around 8,000 locations, including villages and smaller settlements, without electricity access, and we must resolve this,” Hutajulu said.He said the government had started accelerating electrification programs in disadvantaged areas, with around 1,500 locations connected to electricity networks by 2025.The rollout is expected to expand further in 2026 as authorities intensify efforts to improve nationwide electricity access.Despite Indonesia’s high national electrification ratio and ongoing power plant expansion projects, Hutajulu said major gaps remained in electricity distribution to remote communities.He said rapid growth in national power generation capacity had not been fully matched by distribution infrastructure reaching rural villages.Hutajulu stressed the importance of additional financing support, including allocations from the state budget, to accelerate power infrastructure development in hard-to-access regions.According to him, government intervention remains necessary because electricity projects in remote areas require high investment and are not fully commercially viable for state utility PLN.Separately, Energy Ministry Secretary-General Ahmad Erani Yustika said on May 19 that the government had prepared an additional Rp14 trillion, equivalent to about US$792 million, in the 2026 budget.The additional funding will support strategic programs, including village electrification projects aimed at achieving universal electricity access nationwide by 2029.“It must be completed by 2029. All Indonesians must have access to electricity,” Yustika said.