President calls on people to save energy

Bandung, West Java (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has called on the Indonesian people to save energy, including electricity, gas and oil.

"Energy saving should be carried out early on because the energy is not renewable. Besides, in few years to come, the energy problem will become a problem of the world`s nations ," President Yudhoyono said in remarks opening the national leadership meeting of the Indonesian Engineers` Association (PII) and the 55th anniversary of PII here on Thursday.

To enable the country to be self-reliant in energy, all people, children as well as adults, must save energy.

"We all must save energy, don`t waste energy. And starting at an early age, children must learn to save energy in whatever form," he said.

He said if the nation did not save energy from now, energy sources would run out in the future and it would force the country to depend on other countries for energy supplies.

"Therefore, we need innovative technology which can save energy and produce alternative energy," he said.

He also called on regional administrations to issue policies which could support energy efficiency.

The President especially asked PII to help create technology which would produce alternative or renewable energy sources.