Jakarta, June 3, 2024 – The transition from fossil-based energy sources to renewable energy represents a concerted endeavor to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, thereby curbing the Earth’s temperature rise to within 1.5 degrees Celsius. As per the 2023 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, the global average surface temperature during 2011-2020 has escalated by 1.1 degrees Celsius relative to the pre-industrial era (1850-1900). This marked climatic shift has heightened the incidence of extreme heat, intense precipitation, and drought across numerous regions worldwide.

To promote the acceleration of energy transition in Indonesia as a measure to mitigate the climate crisis, the Coalition for Emission-Free Indonesia (KIBE) 2050, consisting of the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) together with Generasi Energi Bersih (GEN-B), Department of Environment BEM Faculty of Law University of Indonesia (UI), Enter Nusantara, and Climate Ranger Jakarta, organized the Emission-Free Indonesia 2050 March on Sunday (2/6/2024). The march started from Kendal Tunnel, Central Jakarta, and concluded at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR). 300 participants attended the parade.

KIBE 2050 especially appreciates the MEMR for receiving KIBE 2050 representatives to deliver recommendations to accelerate the energy transition and achieve Net Zero Emission (NZE) faster in 2050.

Maya Lynn, National Chairperson of Generasi Energi Bersih (GEN-B) Indonesia, hopes that the submitted recommendations can be implemented properly and become the first step towards greater change.

Wahyu Ilham Pranoto, Deputy Head of the Environment Department of the University of Indonesia Faculty of Law Student Executive Board (DLH BEM FH UI), emphasized that the KIBE 2050 recommendations are a form of responsibility and rights as the next generation to ensure the sustainability of the Earth’s future so that the next generation can feel it.

KIBE 2050 presents four recommendation topics, namely:

1. Promote the democratization of energy by ensuring access to high-quality energy, offering incentives and simplifying the installation of rooftop solar power systems, providing straightforward and appealing financing options for renewable energy within the community, and updating regulations for Energy Independent Villages to include incentives and disincentives.
2. Increase the government’s commitment to providing clean energy for the people by targeting a high energy mix in the National Energy Policy (KEN) and relaxing the rules for the Domestic Component Level (TKDN) of solar PV components and other renewable energy. In addition, KIBE 2050 encourages the utilization of environmentally friendly energy storage systems such as pumped hydro energy storage (PHES).
3. Reducing emissions in the energy sector through early retirement of coal-fired power plants and avoiding cofiring in power plants, evaluating plans to implement carbon capture storage (CCS)/carbon capture utility storage (CCUS) in coal-fired power plants, implementing carbon taxes, and shifting dirty energy subsidies to clean energy.
4. Realizing an equitable transition by assisting affected workers, preparing a superior sector to replace the fossil energy sector, and strengthening coordination with all relevant agencies to achieve NZE in 2050.

Agus Cahyono Adi, Head of the Bureau of Communication, Public Information Services and Cooperation (KLIK) at MEMR, appreciated and accepted the recommendations for KIBE 2050. He stated that his team would take necessary actions based on the recommendations.

“The inputs are many and multi-sectoral; for that, we will follow up by forwarding to the relevant sections,” he said.

Irwan Sarifudin, Coordinator of the Clean Energy Hub at IESR and chairman of the GEN-B Board of Trustees expressed hope that the collaboration of various parties in the 2050 Emission-Free Indonesia March would lead to changes that reinforce the government’s commitment to promoting the use of renewable energy.

“The government needs to increase the renewable energy mix in Indonesia rather than sticking to fossil energy, which will be increasingly uneconomical along with the trend of energy transition in the world. Renewable energy, especially PLTS, is technologically easy to install, and the cost of generation is also decreasing. Instead of maintaining wrong solutions such as using carbon capture technology in coal-fired power plants that have not been tested for their emission reduction significance and make their operating costs expensive,” Irwan explained.