Jakarta, Aug. 14 -- Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto ordered state utility PT PLN to shut down diesel-fired power plants with 13 gigawatts (GW) of capacity and replace them with non-fossil energy.

Speaking at the inauguration of the National Electric Motorcycle initiative in Bekasi, West Java, on Thursday, Prabowo said Indonesia must reduce fuel imports to achieve energy self-sufficiency.

Indonesia currently spends about US$28 billion to US$30 billion annually on fuel imports, Prabowo said, underscoring the economic cost of dependence on overseas energy supplies.

"We must not depend on foreign energy. We are too large a nation to rely on external parties," Prabowo said.

He said dependence on imported fuel leaves Indonesians expos...