Energy transition towards net-zero emissions by 2060: Assessing the readiness of coal-fired power plant workers for early retirement

Berdiansyah Wirya Saputra (Department of Environmental Science, Graduate School of Sustainable Development, Universitas Indonesia, Central Jakarta, Special Capital Region of Jakarta 10430)

Journal of Critical Ecology
Vol. 3 No. 2: (August) 2026

Background: Achieving a successful energy transition requires substantial human resource preparation, as investments in renewable technologies ultimately manifest as labour demand. The Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) estimates that Indonesia will require approximately 800,000 workers in the electricity sector by 2030, rising to 3.2 million by 2050, far exceeding the current workforce of around 270,000. Despite this projected growth, Indonesia remains inadequately prepared for the scale, pace, and skill transformation required, particularly regarding coal-fired power plant (CFPP) workers facing early retirement policies. Methods: This study employs a qualitative research design using document-based content analysis, following the READ framework (Ready, Extract, Analyse, Distil). Primary data were drawn from national policy documents, including the Enhanced Nationally Determined Contribution, the Energy Transition Roadmap, and the Green Workforce Development Roadmap, while secondary data comprised reports from the ILO, IESR, World Bank, and Scopus-indexed journals. Analysis focused on CFPP Cirebon 1 as a case study, examining employee competencies, green job potential, and early retirement policy under Presidential Regulation No. 112/2022. Findings: CFPP workers possess highly specific technical skills with limited transferability to renewable energy sectors. Foreign language proficiency emerges as a critical constraint, particularly for accessing technologies from Russia, China, and France. Three structural barriers were identified: skills bottlenecks, linguistic bottlenecks, and institutional bottlenecks, alongside the absence of integrated compensation and reskilling mechanisms for affected workers. Conclusion: Indonesia's NZE 2060 roadmap must treat human capital as both a potential stranded asset and a key enabler of technological progress, requiring coordinated reskilling, social protection, and language development programmes. Novelty/Originality of this article: This study introduces the concepts of "stranded human assets" and "linguistic justice" as new analytical dimensions within Indonesia's just transition discourse.