Time Moves On, Has Indonesia’s Energy Transition Moved Forward?

Indonesia’s energy transition journey is entering a critical period considering that the available time is getting shorter. Indonesia’s closest target is to achieve 23% of the renewable energy mix by 2025. Meanwhile, the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) agreement committed at the 2022 G20 Summit targets 34% of renewable energy by 2030.

In this increasingly shorter time span, the progress of the energy transition in Indonesia is unfortunately still stagnant. The Transition Readiness Framework developed by the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) since 2020 records that in 2022 there are no significant developments in various energy transition sectors in Indonesia. Political commitment and energy transition policies, as well as the investment climate for renewable energy plants are in the low category. This can be interpreted as a challenge in the development of renewable energy as well as a factor that needs to be considered so that Indonesia does not fail to achieve its targets.

It is undeniable that there is an increase in the installed capacity of renewable energy every year. However, this additional capacity is not fast enough to meet Indonesia’s renewable energy capacity targets in an effort to limit the increase in the average global temperature below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Why is it important for Indonesia to achieve its renewable energy targets? Indonesia is included in the top ten largest emitting countries in the world. Thus, Indonesia has a responsibility to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions significantly. Indonesia’s emissions are dominated by two sectors, namely land use change and the energy sector.

From the energy sector, emissions can be reduced drastically by focusing on the electricity sector by increasing the share of renewable energy generation and switching to electric systems (electrification) for vehicles and industry.

The Indonesia Energy Transition Outlook 2023 sees an opportunity to add renewable energy capacity in 2023. The existence of international assistance to reduce emissions, especially from the energy sector, must be a catalyst for accelerating renewable energy capacity as well as a means of creating a portfolio to attract more investment for renewable energy. To achieve net zero emissions status by 2050, Indonesia needs USD 25-30 million annually.

Systematic changes to improve the investment climate are needed. According to renewable energy developers, there are at least three points that need to be improved, namely the need for FiT (Fit in Tariff), fiscal incentives, and soft loans.

The Long Way to Change Indonesia’s Energy Policy

(Jakarta, 20 December 2022) – The development of renewable energy in Indonesia is still very slow. Solar energy for example, data from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources notes that the potential for solar energy in Indonesia reaches 3300 GW. However, its utilization is still less than 1% of the existing potential.

Fabby Tumiwa, Executive Director of the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) and Chairman of the Indonesian Solar Energy Association (AESI) at the Inspirational Talks: Renewable Energy, Our Future organized by RESD and the Mentari Program (20/12) said there were a number of factors which currently hampers the development of renewable energy in Indonesia.

“Reducing the shares of fossil energy is not easy because there is a perception that fossil energy is more reliable and renewable energy such as solar and wind is not always available (intermittent). This makes renewable energy as the second choice when planning,” said Fabby.

One of the consequences of this policy is that financial institutions are less interested in financing renewable energy projects. Thus, the development of renewable energy is also very slow at the moment.

What needs to be done is to amend planning documents and energy policies based on credible evidence or studies (evidence based). IESR through its evidence-based studies then provides recommendations to policy makers to make or change policies to transition towards a cleaner energy system.

Even though studies and research have proven that a cleaner energy system will bring more benefits to the government and society, the process of policy change often takes a long time. For this reason, qualified advocacy and communication skills are needed to oversee and urge cleaner energy policies.

Fabby said that it is important to ensure equitable, quality and clean access to energy in the community because by having access to electricity, people or communities will be more prosperous. When people have access to quality electricity, they tend to have a better standard of living because they have more ability to carry out productive activities.

In his closing remark, Fabby emphasized that renewable energy is the future of Indonesia’s and even the world’s energy system. So, it is important to prepare a workforce that is suitable for future needs, especially for prospective workforce who are currently still in school or college.

Racing in Indonesia’s Energy Transition Momentum

Jakarta, 15 December 2022 – Various global geopolitical events throughout 2022 have affected the increase in the price of fossil energy commodities. As a sector that influences and drives other sectors, the energy sector plays an important role in various aspects ranging from socio-economic to political. The global energy crisis in 2022 can be an opportunity for Indonesia to take advantage to accelerate the energy transition.

Indonesia’s energy market, which still relies heavily on subsidies, has made Indonesia feel less impacted by the global energy crisis due to soaring fossil commodity prices. However, it cannot be denied that the government’s fiscal capacity is no longer as large as the past 2-3 years considering that so many energy subsidies have been issued.

This was conveyed by Dannif Danusaputro, President Director of PT Pertamina New & Renewable Energy at the launch of the Indonesia Energy Transition Outlook 2023 report, by the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR), Thursday 15 December 2022.

“The increasingly narrow fiscal space will inevitably force the government to adopt unpopular policies and this can be captured as a momentum for accelerating renewable energy,” explained Dannif.

It is not only the global energy crisis that can become a momentum for accelerating renewable energy, but also the commitment to finance the energy transition in Indonesia. At the G20 Summit in November 2022, Indonesia received US$20 billion in energy transition funding through the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) scheme. This fund is disbursed by the International Partners Group which consists of the G7 countries plus Denmark and Norway.

Suzanty Sitorus, Executive Director of Viriya ENB, said that JETP’s funds are not sufficient to finance the energy transition process in Indonesia, but that does not mean that its role is not important.

“What is more important is what (these funds) are intended for. Will the USD 20 billion lay the foundations for us to have a faster transition or not,” said Suzanty.

She added that it is important for Indonesia to learn from South Africa (a previous recipient of JETP funding), about an investment plan that suits the needs of the recipient country.

Harris, Director of Geothermal, Directorate General of Electricity at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, stated that since the G20 Summit, the interest of entrepreneurs to invest in renewable energy, especially geothermal, has increased. This is a good thing for pursuing renewable energy targets in RUPTL.

“I don’t think the current RUPTL needs to increase the target, but we have to make sure that the existing target of 51% renewable (around 20.9 GW) is actually achieved,” said Harris.

He added that it was important to ensure that the RUPTL target was achieved because several times the government did not achieve the RUPTL target.

In addition to adding the installed capacity of renewable energy, energy efficiency is also one of the strategies to achieve net-zero emission status, especially in the industrial sector. Octavianus Bramantya, a member of the Net Zero Hub daily work team, KADIN, explained that the industrial sector is quite aware of the need to transition to cleaner energy sources, but they are still waiting for regulatory certainty.

“There has been an explosion of net-zero pledges from companies. Companies are no longer competing through price and product quality, but because there is a carbon footprint assessment for exports, companies have started to be motivated to think about their carbon footprint,” said Bramantya.

Companies engaged in foreign markets have considered this. Local companies still see this carbon calculation as an obstacle, so it is a challenge for KADIN Net-Zero Hub to help restructure capex values and show that low carbon development is actually profitable.

Options for CFPP to Allow High Level of Renewable in Indonesia’s Energy System

The energy transition has become a global necessity as an effort to mitigate climate change. Fossil energy burning is proven to contribute greatly to the increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions which causes an increase in the average global temperature. For countries whose energy systems are mostly supported by fossil energy, this requires special attention, because they also have to take the right steps amidst the available options to decarbonize the energy system which means ending the operational life of coal power plants.

Raditya Wiranegara, senior researcher at the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR), during a webinar entitled “Financing Indonesia’s Coal Phase-Out: A Just and Accelerated Retirement Pathway to Net-Zero” Saturday, 19 November 2022, explained two scenarios that could be taken for coal-fired plant. These two scenarios aim to provide more space for renewable energy to enter the PLN grid.

The first option is to retire old CFPPs and are no longer operationally effective and efficient. To examine this option, IESR collaborated with the Center for Global Sustainability, University of Maryland, United States of America.

“Our research shows that there are 9.2 GW of coal-fired power plants that can be retired starting from 2022-2030,” said Raditya.

By retiring all coal plants, and building renewable energy-based plants, Indonesia can achieve net zero emission status by 2050 aligned with the Paris Agreement.

In addition, there are various socio-economic and environmental impacts that can be avoided. Until 2050 it is estimated that there will be 168,000 deaths that can be avoided with the retirement scenario of all coal power plants.

The second option is to operate the CFPP flexibly. Flexible CFPP operation means changing the pattern of CFPP operation from initially operating 24 hours a day to support the base load of the electricity system, to only supporting peak loads at certain hours.

“This flexible operating pattern allows the addition of renewable energy supplies, especially energy sources that depend on certain conditions such as solar and wind,” explained Raditya.

Raditya added, this flexible operating pattern is suitable for CFPPs that are still young, as there are many in Indonesia. In the study report “Flexible Thermal Power Plant: An Analysis of Operating Coal-fired Power Plant Flexibly to Enable the High-Level Variable Renewables in Indonesia’s Power System” it is explained that technically the CFPPs in the Sumatra, Java-Bali and Sulawesi can be operated flexibly. There will be differences in the level of efficiency, the amount of emissions, and the investment costs required from one unit to another depending on the age of the coal plant. A relatively young CFPP requires lower retrofit costs because the infrastructure is still relatively strong to support a flexible operational pattern.

For this reason, careful planning is needed to operate the Coal plants flexibly as well as to retire the coal plants and increase the capacity of renewable energy in the system. The government through PLN can also include a flexible coal plant operation pattern in the electricity supply planning document to provide regulatory certainty to investors.

An explanation of flexible PLTU operations can be watched via the following channel.

Aligning the Electricity Supply to the Paris Agreement Pathway

Jakarta, 24 November 2022 – Electricity has become a primary need as well as an economic driver for everyone. The demand for electricity is predicted to continue to increase both from the industrial sector and from the residential sector. In order to meet this demand and reduce emissions in the energy sector, planning with greater use of renewable energy should be designed in the RUPTL (Electricity Supply Business Plan).

In the 2021-2030 RUPTL, PLN plans to increase renewable energy capacity by up to 51.6%. Unfortunately, the amount of this target is not enough to meet the target of the Paris Agreement, which is to limit emissions and global temperature rise at 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Akbar Bagaskara, IESR’s power system researcher, during the launching of the study report “Enabling High Share of Renewable Energy in Indonesia’s Power System by 2030” explained that as a country ranked in the top 10 largest emitters in the world, Indonesia has a responsibility to reduce its emissions systematically.

“Electrification in all sectors ranging from industry, transportation and other sectors as well as the maximum utilization of renewable energy is the main key to reducing Indonesia’s emissions and then pursuing the Paris Agreement target,” Akbar explained.

Akbar explained that the renewable energy capacity that can be added to the system reaches 129 GW consisting of 112.1 GW of solar energy, 9.2 GW of water energy, 5.2 GW of geothermal energy, 1.5 GW of wind energy, and biomass of 1 GW.

Akbar also added that this study was a follow-up of the “Deep Decarbonization of Indonesia’s Energy System” study launched by the IESR in 2021 which looked at the possibility of Indonesia’s energy system achieving net zero emission (NZE) status by using 100% renewable energy in 2050.

Kamia Handayani, PT PLN’s EVP Energy Transition and Sustainability, explained that the 2021-2030 RUPTL is indeed not suitable for pursuing the Paris Agreement target.

“RUPTL is indeed not fully aligned with the Paris agreement because there is still coal involved. We (PLN) have several scenarios to reach NZE, based on PLN’s NZE roadmap until 2060, CCS can be a technology that is utilized. Yet, we must see future technological developments to meet the NZE target,” said Kamia.

Elrika Hamdi, Energy Finance Analyst at IEEFA, added that in order to align with the Paris Agreement targets, there needs to be one agency that monitors the implementation and development of renewables.

“There needs to be an agency that ensures development targets and renewable procurement which, for example, is issued by the government in the electricity system so that curtailment can be anticipated,” said Elrika.

Ikhsan Asa’ad, Chairman of the Executive Board of PJCI, highlighted the importance of building a strong domestic renewable energy industry such as solar to meet ambitious renewable energy targets.

“Currently, the price of renewables is still relatively more expensive than PLN’s electricity, but the more massive the use, the more competitive the price is expected to be. Local industry must begin to be prepared to meet the increasing demand for renewable energy components in the country,” he emphasized.

Eko Adhi Setiyawan, Lecturer, University of Indonesia, said that there is a need for demand management to mobilize customers. In addition, it is necessary to translate the Paris Agreement terminology into more concrete targets.

The Potential Role of the Industry and Community Sectors in Accelerating a Just Energy Transition

Semarang, 10 November 2022 – The energy transition has become the focus of many parties lately. It’s not only the government that has the responsibility to provide clean and affordable energy for the entire community, the industrial sector is also starting to switch to clean energy through various efforts. For companies, today’s global product competitiveness is also determined by how the manufacturing process is carried out efficiently and by using sustainable energy sources. The collaborative action of various sectors in the use of renewable energy will support the acceleration of the energy transition on a national level.

To take a closer look at various initiatives from the industry and community sectors, the Central Java Provincial Energy and Mineral Resources Office in collaboration with the Institute for Essential Services Reform organized the “Jelajah Energi Terbarukan” activity on November 10-11 2022. This activity visits several destinations focused on industries and villages that utilize renewable energy potential. This is the second activity, after last June a similar activity was carried out with a focus on different destinations.

The journey started by visiting CV Jaya Setia Plastik, in Demak, to see how the children’s toy industry saves electricity by installing a 470 kWp on-grid rooftop solar PV.

PLTS Atap di CV Jaya Setia Plastik
PLTS Atap di CV Jaya Setia Plastik

“Currently, what is actually installed on our roof is 1,300 kWp, but we have not used the other 470 kWp connected to PLN because we are currently constrained by regulations that limit the installation of rooftop PLTS to a maximum of 15% of the total installed power,” Wahyu representative of CV Jaya Setia Plastik explained. 

Djarum Kretek Oasis, which is located in Kudus, Central Java, also experienced similar challenges. Having several types of green industry initiatives such as the use of biomass boilers, rooftop PLTS, water storage ponds equipped with wastewater treatment facilities, Djarum is still determined to continue to increase its renewable energy capacity.

“Our roof area can still accommodate more solar PV, but due to regulatory limitations we have not been able to add capacity,” said Suwarno, Deputy General Manager Engineering at PT Djarum.

The limitation of rooftop PV capacity has become a concern of various parties because it has become one of the obstacles for consumers, especially the industrial sector, to install or increase the capacity of their rooftop solar. Currently, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and PLN are in the process of revising the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources’ decree no. 26/2021 which regulates the installation of rooftop PV for PLN consumers.

Apart from utilizing solar rooftop, Djarum Oasis has also designed a sustainability scheme for its factory comprehensively covering various aspects, one of which is by utilizing the pruning trees of ‘trembesi’ (Samanea saman) planted on a number of toll roads as part of its CSR, as wood chips for biomass boiler fuel.

The first day’s journey continues towards the waste-to-energy plant Putri Cempo, which is in the Surakarta area. This plant has signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with PLN and will be on COD at the end of 2022. Elan Suherlan, Director of PT SCMP (Solo Metro Citra Plasma) explained, Putri Cempo waste-to-energy plant exists to overcome the waste problem in Surakarta city which can no longer be accommodated by the Waste Processing Site. PT SMCP, which won the tender for the plant construction, started its construction in 2021.

“Later Putri Cempo waste-to-energy plant will produce 5 MW of electricity and will be distributed to PLN,” said Elan.

What needs to be observed is a clear calculation of the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from this waste-to-energy plant.

The first day of “Jelajah Energi” was closed by visiting Krendowahono Village, which has utilized biogenic shallow gas for 30 households. Biogenic gas is produced from organic compounds such as plants and grasses that decompose with the help of bacteria. Because it comes from residues of organic compounds, biogenic gasses are generally found in shallow soil layers. Since its amount is relatively small and dispersed, biogenic gas must be compressed (increased pressure) so that it is easy to flow and use.

Several villages in Central Java have quite a lot of potential for biogenic gas, including Gabus Village, in Ngrampal District, Sragen, Rajek Village, in Grobogan, Bantar, and Pegundungan Villages in Banjarnegara, which can be used as an alternative energy source for cooking. The biogenic gas utilization installation is also relatively low and can be used communally.

Solihin, head of RT 6, Krendowahono Village, explained that the discovery of swamp gas started with residents who were going to make a well for a water source but when water was found at a certain depth, the water could actually catch fire.

“After we reported it and a team came to check it, turned out that this gas can be used for households,” he said.

Mrs. Uni, one of the beneficiaries of the swamp gas, admitted that by using the swamp gas she could save on cooking fuel quite significantly.

“Usually in a month I can use 4 of 3 kg of LPG gas, now it’s only 1,” she said while showing her kitchen. Uni admits that she still uses LPG gas as a fuel reserve for cooking because the stove from swamp gas only has 1 burner.

Currently the local communities are designing an operational system for the swamp gas network, starting from the operating hours of the machine, the amount of contributions, and maintenance costs.

ISEO 2023 Launch: Indonesia Needs Clear Targets and Effective Implementation to Develop Solar Energy

Jakarta, 27 October 2022 – The Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) launched the Indonesia Solar Energy Outlook 2023 report. This report was originally part of the Indonesia Energy Transition Outlook (IETO) which has been routinely published every year since 2018. Starting this year, the solar energy section is made in a separate report to provide a more in-depth report on the development of solar energy in Indonesia and the supporting ecosystems that solar energy needs to grow in Indonesia.

Fabby Tumiwa, Executive Director of IESR, in his remarks at the Shine Bright: Advancing G20 Solar Leadership event organized by IESR with the support of Bloomberg Philanthropies, and in collaboration with the International Solar Alliance, and the Indonesian Solar Energy Association, stated that solar energy prices remain competitive despite the existence of increase in the price of raw materials for the manufacture of solar panels. Fabby also emphasized the importance of developing the solar industry for both Indonesia and all G20 countries which are in the spotlight in efforts to reduce global emissions.

“Developing cooperation in solar manufacturing among G20 countries will secure the supply of solar module and cell production, balance systems to meet future demand, and reduce product monopolies.”

On the same occasion, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Arifin Tasrif, emphasized the need for support from the industry and local solar module manufacturers to meet the requirements for the Local Content Requirement (LCR) considering that Indonesia has mineral materials to make solar modules and batteries.

“Easy access to financing, incentives, and other financing facilities is very important to provide the cost of a feasibility study and increase investment in renewable energy, one of which is solar,” said Arifin.

Ajay Mathur, Director General of the International Solar Alliance, said that to make solar energy the energy of choice, three things that must be taken as strategic steps. First, providing the latest information, analysis, advocacy, and establishing relationships with various parties. Second, providing adequate resources so that solar energy investments ‘flow’ is important because investors will assess and weigh various situations that can affect the return on their investment capital.

“ISA approved the creation of a solar energy financing facility that provides risk capital guarantees,” explained Ajay.

Ajay added, the third step, it is important to build the capacity and capability of various parties who handle the development of solar energy such as policymakers, operators, and regulators.

Daniel Kurniawan, the lead author of the Indonesia Solar Energy Outlook 2023 report, presented some findings from this report. One of them is that although solar energy is getting more and more attention until Q3 2022 only 0.2 GWp of solar has been built.

“Based on the 2021-2030 RUPTL, PLN plans to add 3.9 GW of solar energy in 2025, of which 2.45 GW will be procured under the IPP scheme and 1.45 GW will be auctioned directly by PLN. However, until Q3 2022 there are only eight IPP projects with a capacity of 585 MWp,” explained Daniel.

Presidential Decree number 112/2022 which was issued in September 2022 is expected to provide fresh air for the energy transition in Indonesia, at least with regulations on renewable energy prices and instructions to accelerate the termination of coal-fired power plants.

To encourage the acceleration of the use of solar energy, the ISEO 2023 report recommends some steps, including PLN which can arrange a schedule for renewable energy auctions, especially solar for 2023. Previously, the government had to set ambitious and binding targets for renewable energy in certain years, for example 30% in 2025-2030, 90% in 2040, and 100% in 2050. With a target like this PLN must make room for solar energy in the PLN network.

“The IEA analysis shows that the Java-Bali and Sumatra systems can accommodate 10% of solar energy from their total capacity with flexible PLTU operations,” explained Daniel.

Although the system is technically capable of handling solar energy variability, the main challenge in realizing greater solar penetration is contractual inflexibility (particularly due to the take-or-pay clause in the coal plants power purchase agreement with the IPP as well as the primary energy supply contract for gas).

Daniel also added, considering the readiness of the domestic solar manufacturing industry, the percentage of Local Content Requirement (LCR) needs to be adjusted for a limited time, for example until 2025. While preparing the domestic manufacturing industry for decarbonization.

Finally, ISEO 2023 also recommends that PLN review the policy on limiting the installation of rooftop solar PV.

Henriette Faergemann, Environment, Climate Action EU Delegates to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam, stated that it is important to create an ambitious and consistent energy transition policy to provide a strong signal to investors and financial institutions so that they are interested in participating in financing the energy transition.

“There is good progress for Indonesia in formulating its policies, but there are still many things that need to be done and improved if Indonesia wants this (energy transition) to happen quickly,” Henriette explained.

Joshua Wyclife, Chief of Operations International Solar Alliance, agrees that structural change is needed and this change starts with policy. Joshua also stated that this ISEO report is one way to increase awareness for various parties about the current situation of solar energy development in Indonesia.

“One way to maximize solar potential in Indonesia is to increase the level from awareness to advocacy, by various parties through various ways such as workshops, facilitating training programs with existing resources,” said Joshua.

Meanwhile, Rahmat Mardiana, Director of Electricity, Telecommunications, and Information at the National Planning Agency (Bappenas), stated that this report would be studied further considering that Bappenas is currently preparing national development planning documents such as the RPJP and RPJM, one of which is about the energy transition strategy.

“With our commitment to achieve the RUEN, Paris Agreement, and NZE targets, of course we must provide reliable electricity at affordable prices, and gradually fossil power plants will be replaced by renewable energy,” explained Rahmat.

Dewanto, Vice President of Various Energy PLN, said that PLN continues to support the development of renewable energy.

“The Business Plan (RUPTL) is a tangible manifestation of PLN’s support for new and renewable energy. According to the RUPTL, until early 2023 PLN will auction almost 1 GW of renewable projects,” Dewanto said.

The Launching of “Indonesia Sustainable Finance Outlook 2023”

Jakarta, October 17, 2022 – Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) launched its latest flagship report titled Indonesia Sustainable Finance Outlook (ISFO) 2023. This report is part of the Indonesia Energy Transition Outlook (IETO) which will be launched in December 2022. ISFO 2023 specifically discusses the development of energy transition financing in Indonesia. In his opening remarks, IESR Executive Director, Fabby Tumiwa stated that Indonesia needs massive and drastic transformation steps to ensure that we are in line with the Paris Agreement target, which is to limit the earth’s temperature to 1.5 degrees.

“In 2030 we have to cut 45% of emissions at 2010 level. For that, massive and drastic transformation efforts must be made. Especially by the G20 countries which are responsible for 85% of the world’s total GHG emissions. Indonesia is ranked 7th as an emitting country originating from the forest and land sector, and energy,” explained Fabby.

A study by IESR and the University of Maryland shows that in order to comply with the 1.5-degree temperature increase limit, the entire capacity of PLTU in Indonesia, totaling 44 GW, must be terminated by 2045. In the period 2022 – 2030, 9.2 GW of PLTU must be retired. The remaining capacity will be phased out until 2045.

IESR estimates the cost to close 9.2 GW of the coal-fired power plant during 2022-2030 at $4.6 billion. Early retirement of all coal-fired power plants in 2045 with an average age of 20 years requires $28 billion, this cost for stranded asset compensation and decommissioning costs.

Farah Vianda, IESR’s Green Economy Program Officer and one of the authors of ISFO 2023 explained that the financing situation for the energy transition in Indonesia is still very low.

“We still lack funding to achieve our renewable energy targets by 2025, to halt coal operations, and to mitigate transition risks,” he said.

Farah added that technically the limited availability of public funding (APBN) and the existence of government policies that support the use of fossil energy sources make financial and investment mobilization for the energy transition quite difficult, in terms of financial institutions themselves there are still few policies that support financial institutions to support transition financing energy.

Ichsan Hafiz Loeksmanto, Lead Author of ISFO 2023, highlighted one of the sustainable financing instruments, namely the carbon tax. According to Ichsan, although he has planned to implement a carbon tax, and a cap & trade mechanism on 92 coal-fired power plants in 2022, the carbon tax revenue is not earmarked. This means that the use of carbon tax revenues has not been devoted to financing climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts.

“The government needs to ensure the allocation of carbon tax revenues for climate mitigation & adaptation, and social safety nets. In addition, there is also a need for public transparency regarding payment of carbon taxes and carbon transactions,” explained Ichsan.

Fransiska Oei, Head of Legal & Regulatory Study Development at Perbanas, said that local financial institutions need at least two supports. First, for financing risk management and capacity building support for risk analysis for renewable energy projects.

“The bank’s ability to analyze the feasibility of the renewable energy project is still lacking, we are trying to work with other organizations (ex: USAID) to understand the risks and their mitigation, besides that maybe we also need regulatory support to ease the prudential banking regulation for this renewable project,” said Fransiska.

Lutfyana Larasati, Senior Analyst of Climate Policy Initiatives, stated that in the future there should be more eligible projects to be included in green bonds or green sukuk. PBI 24 of 2022 has provided greater space for banks and financial institutions to contribute to green financing, especially in projects funded by green bonds and green sukuk.

“We need to synchronize the indicator criteria for the green taxonomy so that there are more (green) projects that are eligible to receive public funding, either through green bonds or green sukuk,” said Lutfyana.

Radian Nurcahyo, Assistant Deputy for Maritime Law and Agreements, Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Investment emphasized that energy is the driving force of the economy. Therefore, the investment for this energy transition must continue to be mobilized.

“The Ministry of Finance has issued blended finance schemes such as the energy transition mechanism and country platform for funding sources for phasing down coal power plants, the SDG Indonesia one platform as green energy development to achieve NZE 2060,” explained Radian.

Youth Voice for Energy Transition

Energy transition is becoming an increasingly popular word in 2022. This is a good sign to spread the issue of energy transition to more and more people. We are currently living in a time that requires fast action to deal with the climate crisis that is already happening right in front of our eyes. The energy transition is a systematic solution to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions which are the cause of the increase in the earth’s temperature, causing the climate crisis.

Various groups of scientists such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have warned that our time to contain the rate of increase in Earth’s temperature is getting shorter. Currently the earth’s temperature has increased by 1.1 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial times, and the whole world is trying to contain the rate of increase in the earth’s temperature no more than 1.5 degrees.

To achieve this goal, by 2030 we must cut 45% of global GHG emissions. As one of the world’s largest emitter, Indonesia is responsible to reduce emissions, especially in the energy and land use sectors.

From the energy sector, to reduce GHG emissions and in line with the 1.5-degree goal, Indonesia must retire 9.2 GW of coal plants by 2030 and gradually retire all coal capacity by 2045. The decrease in the number of coal capacity must also be accompanied by an increase in renewable energy generation massively as well as improving the quality of transmission and distribution networks.

Fabby Tumiwa, Executive Director of IESR, in the Young Voices forum organized by the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI) stated that if Indonesia continues to develop fossil energy, emissions from the energy sector will continue to increase.

“If we continue to develop fossil energy, our emissions will increase by three times. To avoid this, the coal fleet must be retired, and renewable energy must be added,” explained Fabby.

Kuki Soejachmoen, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Indonesia Research Institute for Decarbonization (IRID) highlighted the inconsistent energy transition policies at various levels.

“There are some policies that do not support each other. For example, in international forums we are committed to transition, but there are no supporting policies and enabling environment. Thus, the commitment cannot be carried out,” explained Kuki.

Kuki also added that Indonesia is in a period of development which means that the demand for energy is predicted to continue to rise, if energy development is still based on fossil fuels, of course this will make Indonesia’s emissions continue to rise.

Melissa Kowara, activist for Extinction Rebellion Indonesia, assessed that, although the term energy transition has become increasingly popular, the policy is still not visible.

“Although the Indonesian government and countries in the world have made the energy transition a priority issue, in practice they have not realized the energy transition and some even tend to be ‘misguided’, such as the plan to use CCS/CCUS for coal power plants,” said Melissa.

Responding to this, Fabby Tumiwa said that public encouragement is indeed needed for policy reform for the energy transition.

“Currently there are several policy changes, which if implemented properly can help us carry out the energy transition. Here, one of the roles of the public can be to monitor how the government implements these rules and also to remind them when there is negligence,” concluded Fabby.