Kompas | Cancellation of the Coal Power Plant Project Can be the Cheapest Emission Reduction Option

The Electricity Supply Business Plan or RUPTL of PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (Persero) still accommodates 13.8 gigawatts of coal-fired power plant projects. The cancellation of the construction of a 2.9-gigawatt steam power plant could be the cheapest option for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Even so, the project’s cancellation is more challenging than imagined.

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IESR Participates in Celebrates Earth Day in Cilacap

IESR turut meramaikan perayaan Hari Bumi tahun 2023

Cilacap – In commemoration of Earth Day, which falls every April 22, the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) took part in revitalizing the peak of Earth Day 2023 commemoration activities in Bulupayung Village, Kesugihan District, Cilacap Regency on Friday (12/5/2023). The activity is “Invest in Our Planet Through Sustainable Mining.”

During the event, the IESR team provided education on how to contribute to using environmentally friendly energy, especially at the household scale (PLTS roof), and implement the potential of renewable energy around them. Relevant IESR publications and studies in Central Java were also distributed to the visitors who attended the activity. Visitors are invited to animate the photo booth with the theme #InvestInOurPlanet.

In his opening remarks at the event, the Governor of Central Java, Ganjar Pranowo, reminded the importance of preserving natural resources so that they continue to benefit humans.

“Natural resources are the key to the wheels of a running economy, everything in nature can be used to meet needs and welfare, and as humans, we must protect and preserve it,” explained Ganjar Pranowo.

Meanwhile, Boedyo Dharmawan, Acting (Plt.) The head of the Central Java ESDM Service explained several other activities during the peak of the 2023 Earth Day commemoration activities. Boedyo presented the series of events aimed to protect the earth from extinction, mainly its natural resources have been used.

“At this moment of the Earth Day series, there are several important points of activity that we carry out, the inauguration of the Slamet Selatan Mining Association, the assistance of 4,000 tree seeds, appreciation for small to large scale miners who comply with Good Mining Practice (GMP) principles, technical and environmental. In addition, the awarding of Energy Independent Village (DME) was also carried out as the Energy and Water Saving Movement (HEA). Hopefully, sustainable management of the earth can be done for future generations,” he said.

Sustainable Energy Access Regional Program Staff, IESR, Riina Syivarulli hopes that the participants and visitors to the activity can become increasingly aware of the importance of awareness and take concrete steps to preserve the environment after visiting the IESR booth.

“On this occasion, IESR introduced the Jejakkarbonku.id platform to find carbon emissions from our daily activities. There is also a Solar Hub platform if visitors want to know about rooftop PLTS. Many visitors tried the two platforms; some said they wanted to install a rooftop PLTS. Hopefully, more and more people will be interested in installing rooftop PLTS to reduce emissions and take advantage of renewable energy from home,” Riina said.

Building Collaboration Between CSOs in ASEAN to Accelerate Energy Transition

press release

Jakarta, May 16, 2023 – As the Chair of ASEAN in 2023, Indonesia can engage civil society in enhancing ASEAN’s relevance in various aspects aligned with global development challenges. These include increasing ambitions for regional climate targets, developing renewable energy, and promoting sustainable development.

The Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) believes that following the success of the energy transition agenda at the G20, Indonesia can foster cooperation among ASEAN countries to implement energy transitions in line with the targets of the Paris Agreement. This collaboration can help build joint efforts to strengthen resilience in the face of various threats and impacts of climate change, through sustainable development.

ASEAN already has the ASEAN Working Group on Climate Change (AWGCC) and ASEAN Working Group on Forest and Climate Change (AWGFCC), as well as ASEAN Energy Cooperation. However, achieving climate mitigation targets and advancing renewable energy require additional efforts and collaboration between these working groups, along with civil society organizations and transnational communities, to increase their contribution to the region.

IESR believes that Indonesia, as the Chair of ASEAN, can provide space for civil society at the regional level to be involved in the process of its chairmanship agenda in 2023, particularly regarding energy and climate issues.

“As one of the regional organizations projected to experience 4.7% economic growth in 2023 amidst weakening global demand, ASEAN is a promising region for investment, especially in the renewable energy sector. Leveraging its leadership in ASEAN, Indonesia can encourage and embrace civil society organizations in ASEAN to focus on the energy transition. By initiating concrete collaborations, together we can accelerate the energy transition in the region and tackle climate change,” said Fabby Tumiwa, IESR Executive Director, during the public discussion titled “Making Energy Green and Low Carbon to Support Sustainable Growth: Advancing the Role of Civil Society in Southeast Asia Energy Transition During Indonesia ASEAN Chairmanship 2023,” organized by IESR.

Economic growth in the ASEAN region needs to align with commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions following the Paris Agreement. ASEAN has set a target of achieving 23% of the renewable energy mix by 2025. However, according to the IEA, 80% of the primary energy mix in the Southeast Asian region still comes from fossil fuels. Reducing the cost of renewable energy is predicted by the IEA to increase the penetration of renewable energy in ASEAN by up to 70% by 2040. This can be achieved through intensive coordination and collaboration among stakeholders (government, civil society, and business stakeholders) in ASEAN, especially in the regional policy-making process.

Nevertheless, Arief Rosadi, Coordinator of the IESR Climate Diplomacy Project, highlights that ASEAN currently lacks a formal channel for civil society to express aspirations, particularly on climate and energy issues. Therefore, Indonesia needs to lead ASEAN in providing an inclusive and constructive dialogue space for civil society in the decision-making process within the region.

“One immediate step to take is to increase the intensity of communication between civil society in the region, enabling the sharing of information and the latest developments in each country regarding energy and climate issues. This aims to strengthen solidarity and a sense of ownership of ASEAN as a collective region,” said Arief.

According to him, Indonesia can encourage more public discussions that focus on knowledge exchange and provide data-based policy recommendations that support the acceleration of the energy transition through the development of renewable energy at the regional level. Additionally, this approach can offer opportunities for developing human resource capacity in the renewable energy sector.

“Another important action is to strengthen grassroots collaboration and civil society networks at the regional level. This collaboration can contribute to the achievement of the climate agenda and energy transition in the region by sharing good practices and technical knowledge,” Arief added.

Incentives Needed to Drive the Electric Vehicle Market

Jakarta, May 11,  2023 – Executive Director of the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR), Fabby Tumiwa, stated the Government of Indonesia provided electric vehicle incentives as one of the strategies to open or develop the electric vehicle industry itself. However, Fabby stressed that there are better solutions than incentivizing electric vehicles to overcome the congestion problem. This was said by Fabby Tumiwa when he was a guest speaker on the Mining Zone program, CNBC Indonesia TV, on Thursday (11/5/2023).

“We already have a downstream policy; we cannot export nickel ore. For this reason, nickel must be produced in Indonesia, and we already know that nickel is processed in smelters to become batteries. With this policy, several global companies are currently investing in Indonesia, including Korea and China. Well, the next stage is building an electric vehicle. For example, the type of battery is like Nickel-metal hydride (NiMH),” explained Fabby Tumiwa.

Furthermore, Fabby said to attract investment in electric vehicles, it is necessary to create market demand (demand). It is considering that the need for electric cars in Indonesia is still small. According to Fabby, sales of electric vehicles have remained within 25 thousand units since the issuance of Presidential Regulation (Perpes) No 55 of 2019. Reflecting on this, the government needs to set a strategy to grow demand for electric vehicles.

“With the demand, it is hoped that electric vehicle manufacturers can invest in Indonesia. However, it should be remembered that if we want to encourage investment on the upstream side, the incentives will differ. On the other hand, if we build a market from the product, the incentives are also different. Hence, the existing incentives cannot be wrong because we need to look at the context,” mentioned Fabby Tumiwa.

In addition, Fabby stated that in the context of energy use, there is a need to substitute fuel oil imports (BBM). As is known, Indonesia’s oil production continues to decline every year. Under these conditions, said Fabby, if there were no efforts to reduce fuel consumption, more than 60% of fuel needs would be imported. This is a severe problem because it threatens the security of the national energy supply.

“Under such conditions, incentives for electric vehicles are also part of a strategy to reduce growing demand for fuel by shifting vehicle technology. Remembering that electricity can come from anywhere, including renewable energy, “said Fabby Tumiwa.

Not only that, in the context of the energy transition, said Fabby, the automotive industry will sooner or later experience changes. If Indonesia is prosperous in electric vehicles, the production of conventional cars will decrease, which can impact reducing employment opportunities. As market interest in conventional vehicles declines, green jobs will be created.