Regional Leadership Determines Indonesia’s Energy Transition

Jakarta, March 9, 2022 – The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources recorded an increase of 217 MW in mid-2021. This brings the total renewable energy generating capacity in September 2021 to 10,807 MW. Nationally, Indonesia’s energy mix is ​​still dominated by fossil energy up to 85%. The Indonesian government has taken the initiative to accelerate the penetration of renewable energy in the energy mix, one of which is through the RUPTL (Electricity Supply Business Plan) document for 2021 – 2030. In this document, the government targets the addition of electricity from renewable energy plants by 51.6% or 20,923 MW. Cooperation with various parties, including local governments and the private sector is important to achieve the RUPTL targets and accelerate the energy transition in Indonesia. One of the focuses of the Indonesian government is to increase the installed capacity of renewable energy by including rooftop solar in the national strategy program.

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Arifin Tasrif, in his remarks at the Governor’s Forum for Energy Transition, which was held on March 9, 2022 by the National Energy Council in collaboration with the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) emphasized the role of local governments in Indonesia’s energy transition.

“Local governments are expected to make policies that are more in favor of developing new and renewable energy (EBT) and support energy saving efforts. Support can be seen from the Regional Medium Term Development Plan (RPJMD). The RPJMD which is oriented towards energy transition and green energy-based economic acceleration will be a key factor in the success of the energy transition in the regions. The Regional Energy General Plan (RUED) will also be a reference for making energy transitions in the regions.”

A total of 22 provinces have had Perda RUED until March 2022. One of them is Southeast Sulawesi. The Southeast Sulawesi Provincial Government has issued an Appeal Letter to the Governor of Southeast Sulawesi Regarding the Construction of Rooftop PV Installation.

“The government of Southeast Sulawesi has made efforts to encourage investment and development of new and renewable energy through solar PV and geothermal power plants (PLTP), hopefully they will become role models throughout Indonesia,” said the Governor of Southeast Sulawesi, Ali Mazi.

In addition, several regions have a fairly high renewable energy target, such as West Sumatra at 51.7% in 2025. Audy Joinaldy, Deputy Governor of West Sumatra, on the same occasion stated that his party is working on diversifying energy sources and one of the priorities is the installation of rooftop PV.

“Every year we install PV rooftops, especially for households that have not received PLN electricity. The installation of PV rooftops is also carried out in government buildings, as well as floating PV on Lake Singkarak,” he explained.

Audy added that one of the big obstacles for local governments to develop renewable energy is limited access to funding. So it needs assistance from the central government for financial access.

In response, Musri, a member of the National Energy Council, said that the government has issued supporting regulations such as the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Regulation 26/2021 which is expected to attract consumers to use renewable energy such as rooftop solar power plants, but there are further technical problems such as the PLN network.

“If we talk about the energy mix, of course this is not only from the electricity sector, other sectors such as transportation also play a role. To encourage the energy transition in Indonesia, local wisdom must be encouraged so that the steps taken are in accordance with the potential and the local social context,” Musri explained.

The province located in the eastern part of Indonesia, West Nusa Tenggara, is targeting 25% renewable energy in its energy mix by 2025. Zainal Abe, Head of the ESDM Office of West Nusa Tenggara, explained that his party is currently drafting a Governor’s Regulation on green energy.

“Hopefully in the future, the roofs of government offices, especially the MEMR Office can use rooftop solar panels,” said Zainal.

Open Canvas: IsDB seeks advice on Energy Transition in Indonesia and Southeast Asia Region with IESR

Jakarta, 1 December 2021 – In the past year, the term energy transition has gained traction in the policy advocating process as well as public discourse. The energy sector, as the number one polluter globally, attracts the main spotlight as the world is in the race to limit its temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Energy transition, though it is a need, unfortunately, has no universal formula for each region or country to implement. Each country needs to figure out the most suitable scenario for its energy transition considering the context and situation of the country. However, taking notes on the previous experience in preparing or initiating the energy transition could help to smoothen the process of transition preparation in a region.

Indonesia marked a quite progressive move along the year, starting from the announcement of the net-zero target in 2060 (sooner) and also the recent RUPTL that accommodates a bigger portion, 51.6% of renewables. Though the target is still considered not enough to achieve the Paris Target, the ongoing progress and commitment announced are attracting people to learn on how the government shifts its interest, and finally commits to cleaner energy.

On December 1st, 2021, IESR met the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Almaty, Kazakhstan to share the progress of the energy transition in Indonesia as well as lessons learned on the role of non-government stakeholders in accelerating energy transition both at the country and regional level. 

Sitting for the Central Asia region, IsDB identified the low investment and old infrastructure in power generation, transmission, and distribution as the main issue in the area. The potential renewable energy such as hydro and solar is only available during summer. In the winter where the temperature may drop, for instance up to -50 degrees celsius in Kazakhstan, a way to supply the power must be figured out, and what energy can be used to fulfill the demand.

In developing a more sustainable scenario, IESR as an independent think-tank actively advocating energy transition agenda through several means and channels i.e research dissemination, initiating movement, and actively influencing public discourse. 

“For instance, we push solar rooftop penetration into the grid, because we believe the technology could help to democratize energy access which in Indonesia is monopolized by PLN,” Fabby Tumiwa the Executive Director of IESR explained.

In influencing and shaping public opinion, IESR through the Clean, Affordable, and Secure Energy (CASE) for Southeast Asia project actively engaged with the government, media, academic institutions, and public to promote energy transition discourse for a wider audience. In policy advocacy matters, CASE is also in partnership with the Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas) to influence the long-term development goal.

Understanding that the energy transition is a multidimensional issue, it requires a collaboration of diverse stakeholders in planning and implementing it.

“That is our next goal, we’ll have a meeting with the Ministry of Energy and talk about the plan, and figure out what we can do to support the deployment of renewable energy and what works for them,” said Edzwan Anwar of the IsDB.

Mapping the Potential of Renewable Energy in Indonesia for a More Precise Energy Transition Planning

Jakarta, October 25, 2021 – In order to encourage the acceleration of renewable energy development, the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) launched a study entitled “Beyond 443 GW: Indonesia’s Infinite Renewables Energy Potentials”. This study contains data on mapping the technical potential of renewable energy in Indonesia using a Geographical Information System (GIS).

Fabby Tumiwa, Executive Director of IESR, in his opening speech hoped that this study could be a constructive input for the government and policy makers in planning and allocating their resources to utilize the potential of renewable energy as much as possible, both in terms of policy regulations and support from the State Budget.

“We hope that this potential mapping will also help local governments who are mandated to take advantage of the potential of renewable energy resources. They are also expected to encourage the use of renewable energy so that efforts to achieve decarbonization can be carried out together,” said Fabby.

This study states a total up to 7,879.4 GW (scenario 1) or 6,811.3 GW (scenario 2) renewable energy potential in Indonesia. It consists of solar (7,714.6 GW scenario 1 and 6,749.3 GW scenario 2), micro hydro ( 28.1 GW scenario 1 and 6.3 GW scenario 2), wind (19.8 GW – 106 GW), and biomass (30.73 GW).

Handriyanti Diah Puspitarini, the author of the ‘Beyond 443 GW’ study, in her presentation explained that the potential data was higher than the one stated in the National Energy General Plan (RUEN) document of 443 GW.

“The potential for renewable energy in Indonesia is very abundant, even more than what is needed to achieve deep decarbonization (or the 2050 zero emission target),” explained Handriyanti.

Through this ‘Beyond 443 GW’ study, IESR recommends the government to (1) update and review data on the technical potential of renewable energy on a regular basis as technology develops; (2) complete the necessary technical potential map with a brief analysis of the intermittent, variability, and network readiness; (3) consider a decentralized system and inter-island connections to ensure access and availability of electricity from renewable energy; (4) provide support for renewable energy technology innovations in order to open up greater utilization opportunities. 

Present as a responder, Hariyanto, Head of the Center for Research and Technology Development (P3TEK) of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, stated that the results of this study could enrich the data on renewable energy potential because the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources is currently updating the technical potential data for renewable energy in Indonesia including solar, wind and solar, hydro, and bioenergy.

“From the results presented, currently there are the same numbers and there are different ones because I see there are different assumptions and scenarios. For example, the solar potential, which was originally 207.8 GW when updated, has a potential of 189 – 3,294.4 GW with various assumptions. We will still discuss with all stakeholders whether this figure can be put into practice,” explained Hariyanto.

Djoko Siswanto, Secretary General of the National Energy Council, welcomed this study and stated that the results of this study and the data currently being updated by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources could be the basis for national and local governments in developing renewable energy. According to him, the national government can use the results of the latest renewable energy technical potential mapping as a consideration in the preparation of the National Grand Strategy Energy (GSEN), which is currently being carried out by the DEN.

Meanwhile, for local governments, the results of this mapping can be used as a basis for preparing the General Regional Energy Plan (RUED).

“DEN is currently facilitating the regions to draw up Perda RUED. The results of this mapping will be very useful in drafting Perda RUED which will later become the basis for Regional Governments in developing renewables in their respective regions,” Djoko added.

Still on the same occasion, Chairman of the Indonesian Renewable Energy Society (METI), Surya Darma stressed the importance of always updating data on potential renewable energy on a regular basis.

“The rapid development of technology and the different assumptions used can make the numbers fluctuate, but that’s okay. Our task is to find alternatives so that these potentials can be realized and really utilized,” said Surya Darma.

IESR Launches the Study of Renewable Energy Technical Potential Map Study in Indonesia

Jakarta, October 25, 2021 – A comprehensive renewable energy potential map needs to be prepared to support the energy transition towards utilizing 100 percent renewable energy and achieving zero emissions in Indonesia by 2050.

Indonesia’s renewable energy technical potential data still refers to the General National Energy Plan (RUEN) of 443.2 GW. This data has not been updated since 2014. Moreover, the RUEN data is also much lower than the actual potential of renewable energy.

“The suboptimal data on the potential for renewable energy will affect the perspective, strategy, and decision making on the use of renewable energy in Indonesia. This data confusion will make the government and business actors unable to plan optimally the energy transition in Indonesia, and formulate policies to accelerate the use of renewable energy. Updating data is significantly strategic for the executives to plan Indonesia’s energy transition,” explained Fabby Tumiwa, Director of the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR).

IESR uses GIS to update solar, wind, and water technical potential data. Considering the variability and intermittent issues of these three types of renewable energy, IESR also examines the potential of biomass and pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) for complementing it. As a result, Indonesia has a total technical potential of solar, wind, hydro, and biomass energy of 7,879.43 GW and 7,308.8 GWh for PHES. 

“Biomass and PHES can be used as complementary sources to overcome the intermittent and variability issues of solar, wind, and water energy. Our calculation results show that the biomass potential reaches 30.73 GW. However, its efficiency is only 20-35%, so it requires PHES,” said Handriyanti Diah Puspitarini, Senior Researcher and Lead Author of the Study “Beyond 443 GW Indonesia’s infinite renewable energy potentials”.

This magnificent potential if utilized optimally will be able to meet all energy needs in Indonesia. The study of Decarbonization of Energy Systems in Indonesia, conducted by IESR and published last May, projected that energy capacity needs will reach 1600 GW by 2050. By utilizing 100% renewable energy, Indonesia can meet the electricity demand of 1600 GW and achieve zero emissions by 2050. Based on the study, its main contribution comes from 1,492 GW of solar PV (88% of the primary energy mix), 40 GW of hydropower, and 19 GW of geothermal and supported by optimal storage capacity.

The study “Beyond 443 GW Indonesia’s infinite renewable energy potential” also contains detailed data on the technical potential of solar, wind, water, biomass, and PHES in 34 provinces in Indonesia. This data can be adopted by the central and provincial governments to more aggressively promote and develop renewable energy projects that are decentralized according to their most prominent potential. Yet, it is still interconnected between islands and provinces to balance their energy supply.

“This renewable energy potential map can be further developed by considering the development to operational costs so that it can provide a more precise outline to stakeholders about the optimal location of renewable energy to be developed. Furthermore, the development of renewable energy can be realized with the support of the right policies and regulations,” added Handriyanti.

Through this study, IESR recommends that the government, first, improve data on renewable energy potential as the reference for planning in the energy and development sector, and conduct regular reviews as renewable energy technology matures. Second, the government and experts need to complete the technical potential map with a brief analysis of the network’s intermittent, variability, and grid readiness, including predictions of climate conditions in the next few years. Third, the government and stakeholders should start considering the development of the decentralized system and inter-island connections as a way to provide electricity from renewable energy that is accessible to communities throughout the island, especially remote areas. Fourth, the government needs to give more support to various renewable energy technology innovations so that they can open up opportunities for utilizing the huge potential of renewable energy.

Table : Technical Potential of Renewable Energy in Indonesia

Type

Technical potential

Scenario 1

Scenario 2
Solar photovoltaic (rooftop, ground mounted, and floating)

7,714.6 GW

6,749.3 GW
Micro- to small-hydropower, with capacity ≤ 10 MW

28.1 GW

6.3 GW
Onshore wind power

106 GW at 50 m hub height and 88 GW at 100 m hub height

25 GW at 50 m hub height and 19.8 GW at 100 m hub height
Biomass power (only from crop wastes and wooden biomass)

30.73 GW
Pumped Hydro Energy Storage

7,308.8 GWh

The study “Beyond 443 GW Indonesia’s infinite renewable energy potential” can be downloaded at the link s.id/Beyond443GW

The video of launch of the study “Beyond 443 GW Indonesia’s infinite renewable energy potential” can be watched on Youtube IESR Indonesia at https://youtu.be/eS_PQD3gEIs

IESR: Renewable Energy Portion in “Green” RUPTL Could Be Bigger

Jakarta, 14 October 2021– Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) The Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) appreciates the government’s commitment to making an energy transition towards decarbonization in 2060 or earlier by issuing the PLN 2021-2030 Electricity Supply Business Plan  (RUPTL), which has a larger portion of renewable energy generation. The government claims that this RUPTL is the greenest because it contains a portion of new and renewable energy generation capacity (EBT) of 51.6% or 20.923 MW in 2030. However, the 2021-2030 RUPTL still indicates the dependence of fossil energy on the energy system in Indonesia.

Pamela Simamora, IESR Research Coordinator who is also the main author of the Deep decarbonization of Indonesia’s energy system study, believes that the 2021-2030 RUPTL still shows a small renewable energy electricity mix, which is only 24.8% in 2030. This means that from 2025 to 2030, the increase in the renewable energy mix was only 1.8%. This number is much lower than the target mix increase from 2021 to 2025 which is 8% (from 15% today to 23% in 2025).

“The renewable energy mix should be higher in 2030 considering that the price of renewable energy in that year is predicted to be more competitive than fossil energy,” she says.

Indonesia itself has declared to achieve decarbonization by 2060 or earlier. IESR Executive Director, Fabby Tumiwa said that the target will be realized if, by 2030, around 70% of power generation capacity or around 80-85 GW comes from renewable energy so that energy sector emissions can reach their peak in 2030.

“To achieve this mix, it is necessary to reduce fossil energy generating capacity to open up more space for renewable energy plants to be included in the electricity system. The reduction in thermal generating capacity must be followed by the development of renewable energy. With this need, renewable energy in 2022-2025 should ideally reach 25-30 GW and accelerate to 45-50 GW from 2025 to 2030, in line with the plan for early retirement of PLTU, “he explains.

Responding to the government’s plan in the 2030 RUPTL to retire 1.1 GW of subcritical steam power plants in Muara Karang, Tanjung Priok, Tambak Lorok, and Gresik by 2030, the Transformation Energy Program Manager, Deon Arinaldo assessed that this step is still following the business as a usual plan because the PLTU is entering retirement age.

Moreover, the government’s intention to maintain fossil fuels by co-firing biomass at PLTU will set a greater risk of stranded assets and the environment when compared to focusing on developing renewable energy such as solar energy. PLN has even identified challenges such as the sustainability of the required biomass supply of 8-14 million tons per year, the impact on the efficiency of the power plant, and the increase in the basic cost of electricity supply.

On the other hand, RUPTL 2030 has also planned the development of electricity interconnection within islands and between islands to improve electricity reliability and distribute new renewable energy whose sources are far from load centers. The government targets that by 2024 the interconnection within the islands of Kalimantan and Sulawesi has been accomplished in the super grid system to overcome the oversupply in a large system. The government is also reviewing the development of the interconnection network between Sumatra-Java and Bali-Lombok. Referring to the study of Deep decarbonization of Indonesia’s energy system, this within-island, and inter-island interconnection network plan is a good thing and should be monitored for its development.

Furthermore, the development of varied renewable energy (VRE), especially solar energy, is focused on three strategies: solar PV for rural electricity, de-dieselization, and network connection (both PLN and IPP). However, de-dieselization by converting diesel power plants to solar PV equipped with a battery with a total capacity of 1.2 GWp is only intended for isolated systems that are not possible to be connected to PLN transmission.

“If it is intended to encourage a more aggressive penetration of renewable energy, the use of local renewable energy, either solar or other renewable energy sources, should be the main strategy for providing energy access, not a substitute, and must concentrate on to aspects of sustainability and reliability,” said Marlistya Citraningrum, Manager Sustainable Energy Access Program, IESR

Besides, the target of 4.7 GW of PV mini-grid by 2030 listed in the latest RUPTL does not reflect the much larger potential and pipeline project of PV mini-grid. The Scaling Up Solar in Indonesia report even shows that it requires at least 18 GW until 2025 to realize the target of 23% of the renewable energy mix. Meanwhile, according to the IESR Deep decarbonization of Indonesia’s energy system study to pursue emission-free Indonesia in 2050, 107 GW of solar PV is needed in 2030 with a storage system.

Beyond 443 GW: Unveiling Indonesia’s true renewable energy potential

Recording Playback

Indonesia has ratified the Paris Agreement through Law no. 16/2016. Therefore, legally, Indonesia needs to contribute in overcoming the climate crisis by increasing its ambition for greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation actions so that the global average temperature does not rise above 1.5 0C. In one of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) models, and in an effort to limit the increase in global temperature below 1.5 0C, the total global GHG emissions must decrease by 45% by 2030 (baseline in 2010) and reach net zero emissions ( NZE) in 2050. Indonesia’s contribution is very important, because Indonesia is among the top ten countries with the largest GHG emissions with projected emissions that continue to increase, especially in the energy sector which will be the main contributor to GHG emissions in 2030.

Indonesia’s electricity sector plays an important role in increasing Indonesia’s GHG emission mitigation ambitions. In the 2021-2030 RUPTL, which is claimed to be a green RUPTL, it is planned that an additional 20.9 GW of renewable energy generation is planned by 2030. Although the addition of renewable energy generation capacity has exceeded fossil power generation, emissions in the electricity sector will still increase over the next decade from 259 million tons of CO2 to 335 million tons of CO2. This is certainly contrary to the needs of the Paris Agreement, which suggests that global emission reductions need to be seen in this decade.

In the IESR modeling, it is shown that Indonesia can achieve zero emission in the energy sector by 2050 by building 140 GW and 1550 GW of renewable energy plants in 2030 and 2050 respectively, which is accompanied by accelerated penetration of electric vehicles and electrification in the industrial sector. Renewable energy plays a major role in decarbonizing the energy system, and at the same time it can reduce the cost of the energy system and create more jobs. However, based on records from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Indonesia’s total renewable energy potential only reaches 418 GW.

Currently, MEMR through P3TEK is updating data on the potential of renewable energy. It is hoped that the data can be used to support more ambitious energy transition planning and meet the Paris Agreement targets. In addition, this data is also expected to be used by policy makers, renewable energy business players, local governments and other stakeholders to target faster and more ambitious renewable energy planning and development.

IESR has also studied the technical potential of renewable energy which includes the potential for solar, wind, mini/micro hydro, biomass and also pumped hydro energy storage (PHES). Through this webinar, IESR intends to present the results of the study of the technical potential of renewable energy and the methodology used so that they can be discussed together and become input for relevant stakeholders and contribute positively to Indonesia’s energy transition process.

Presentation Materials

IESR

Mapping_Launching_25.10.2021.pptx

Download

Measuring the Urgency of EBT Bill

Jakarta, 10 September 2021 – Since January 2021, the Indonesian House of Representatives Commission VII has prepared an academic paper for the New and Renewable Energy (EBT) Bill and is currently in the process of consolidation. This bill is considered important to provide legal certainty for the development of renewable energy in Indonesia. Even so, until now several parties have expressed objections to the substance or questioned the urgency of this law.

The development of renewable energy in Indonesia itself over the last five years has not been encouraging. The average additional installed capacity per year is only around 400 MW. In fact, Indonesia has a commitment to achieve 23% of renewable energy in the primary energy mix by 2025. Currently, Indonesia’s achievement is still in the range of 11-12%. As time is running out, various strategies are needed to accelerate the development of renewable energy in Indonesia. In collaboration with Soegijapranata Catholic University, the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) held a webinar entitled “New and Renewable Energy Bill: for Whom?”. This webinar aims to explore the perspectives of various fields and hopes to formulate recommendations for this bill.

In his opening remarks, Fabby Tumiwa, Executive Director of IESR reminded the importance of the public knowing about the New and Renewable Energy (EBT) Bill and having the space and opportunity to provide their views on this Bill.

“In the midst of Indonesia’s current condition of pursuing net-zero emissions of 2060 or faster, the development of renewable energy is one of the keys to achieving this target. The role of the EBT Bill is important here,” explained Fabby.

Sonny Keraf, the Indonesian Minister of the Environment from 1999 to 2001, revealed that the problem of renewable energy which is slow in progress is not a problem in the regulations, but lies in the government’s seriousness in transitioning from fossil energy to clean energy.

“So if the big question is do we need this New and Renewable Energy Law? The answer could be no. Because we already have enough regulations that regulate energy in detail,” he said.

Irine Handika, Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Gadjah Mada University, has a similar argument with Sonny. From the legal aspect, according to her, there are several things that are problematic about the New and Renewable Energy (EBT) Bill. One of them is the term ‘new energy’ which will make this law die before it is born. This is because the ‘new energy’ parameter itself is uncertain and unclear.

“We see that currently the main problem is at the implementation level of existing energy regulations, so making new laws may not be the right solution. Even if it is considered that there are things that have not been covered in existing regulations, the solution that can be taken is revisions or amendments to existing regulations or laws,” explained Irine.

On the other hand, Kardaya Warnika, DEA, member of the Indonesian House of Representatives Commission VII, explained that the EBT Bill aims to provide legal certainty for the development of new and renewable energy in the future. In the future, this law is projected to become a guideline for achieving national new and renewable energy targets.

“We see that the energy transition is very big, this law is a way for the state to be present to lead the energy transition process. I agree that the progress of NRE is bad because the government is not very supportive of renewables, even though the state must be present and lead the energy transition process. So it is hoped that this law will provide legal certainty forever for the development of renewable energy,” said Kardaya.

The partiality of the new law will really be seen when the draft law is finalized, but we need to ensure that the substance of the EBT Bill is not counterproductive to Indonesia’s decarbonization ideals to become net-zero emissions by 2060.

Renewable Energy Development First, Nuclear should be the last option or not at all

Nuclear energy has created a dialogue and debate about the benefits and risks it brings. On the one hand, nuclear energy can meet energy needs, and can be used in various fields such as medical and military. But nuclear power also carries the risk of radiation leakage. There are noteworthy nuclear accidents, starting from Three Mile Island (1979), Chernobyl (1986), and Fukushima (2011). From this the question arises, is nuclear still worthy to be developed on a large scale? If so, what aspects must be considered in its development? Presenting three speakers with different backgrounds, FISCO UGM held a webinar on Nuclear Potential and Controversy to try to solve this question.

On the occasion, Fabby Tumiwa, Executive Director of IESR, said that there are several things that must be considered regarding the development of nuclear energy, including three factors of nuclear reactor safety, namely regulations or regulatory bodies, operational security, and security systems.

“The debate about nuclear power plants from the start was not solely about technology. But more about the security risks. The most feared disaster from nuclear power is the leakage of radiation into the outside environment, so the controversy is not solely about technology but rather the environment in which the nuclear power plant is located, “explained Fabby.

To ensure this security aspect, in addition to strict regulatory bodies and security procedures, the economic or cost issues required also need to be re-examined.

“The trend of nuclear power plant investment from year to year is getting more expensive. If the goal of building a nuclear power plant is to meet the growing demand for electricity, then there are other renewable energy alternatives that are more affordable and less dangerous,” continued Fabby.

Environmental factors, including public acceptance, are important and make this nuclear issue dynamic. Derajad S. Widhyharto, Lecturer of Sociology at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, UGM, also revealed that the public’s concern about nuclear power, both as nuclear power plants and new energy, lies in management issues.

The management aspect that is a concern for the community is further exacerbated by the dynamics of nuclear regulation which are not interrelated with the findings of surveys or research conducted by various institutions.

Alexander Agung, a lecturer in Nuclear Engineering UGM, complements this discussion with a more technical perspective on nuclear energy. Nuclear power plants were developed to meet the increasing demand for electricity, as well as to support industrialization. Countries such as the United States, Japan, and European countries do meet their electricity needs from nuclear plants.

“The existence of a regulatory body that specifically regulates and oversees the development and construction of the nuclear power plant ensures the safety of this nuclear power plant from the start, during the site selection survey to construction, even up to decommissioning” Alexander concluded.

However, in its development, it is also necessary to ensure that this regulatory body continues to work optimally so that the development of nuclear energy does not endanger the community and the surrounding environment.

Ridwan Kamil Invites IESR to Share Insights on the Draft Bill on Renewable Energy

Bandung, 26 March 2021 — Elected as the General Chairperson of the Regional Association for Producing Oil and Gas and Renewable Energy (ADPMET) for the term of 2020-2025, the Governor of West Java, Ridwan Kamil, clearly stated in his inauguration that ADPMET would focus on developing renewable energy or waste-based biofuel, animal and plant excrement.

The seriousness of ADPMET regarding renewable energy development and energy transition was shown by Ridwan Kamil’s initiative to invite parties who consistently utter these two issues to discuss the Draft Bill on New and Renewable Energy (RUU EBT) at the West Java Governor’s office (26/3). Invited, the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) provided views and exposures related to renewable energy and the RUU EBT.

Fabby Tumiwa, Executive Director of IESR, explained that, although the energy transition movement has globalized significantly and many countries in the world such as the European Union, India, China, Chile are developing renewable energy massively, Indonesia still records very low achievements in terms of energy mix targets renewable. Of the 23 percent in 2025, Indonesia was only at 11.5 percent at the end of 2020.

“In 2020, there will only be an additional 187.5 MW of installed renewable energy generating capacity. It means that it barely grows about 1.8 percent annually. Very slow, “he explained.

Meanwhile, based on the results of the latest IESR study on the technical potential of PLTS entitled “Beyond 207 Gigawatts: Unleashing Indonesia’s Solar Potential”, Indonesia has the potential for solar energy that far exceeds the official figures released by the Indonesian government.

“Indonesia has the potential for solar PV (photovoltaic) to reach 3,000 – 20,000 GWp. This potential is 16 to 95 times higher than the official estimated potential data released by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, which was 207 GWp (ESDM, 2016). If this technical potential is utilized, it can produce electricity of 27,000 TWh per year, almost 100 times the current electricity demand, “he said.

In his explanation, Fabby also explained the technical potential that West Java province possesses, based on IESR calculations using geospatial data by identifying suitable land for solar PV. Mapping results show that with a maximum area of ​​16,746 km2, West Java has a maximum technical potential for solar power of 687 GWp.

Such an immense potential of renewable energy should be a luminary in the RUU EBT. As it is also clearly written as a basis for consideration of the drafting of the RUU EBT, energy transition needs to be accelerated towards a sustainable national energy system. However, the RUU EBT, which is still being discussed in the DPR, includes elements of new energy. It means that this bill does not focus on supporting renewable energy only. The definition of new energy is energy produced by new technology with non-renewable or renewable energy sources (PP 79/2014) such as nuclear, fossil energy processing such as coal gasification, and also liquefied coal. It implied that the RUU EBT is still dominated by non-renewable energy, therefore, it is against the principles of the sustainable energy system itself. 

IESR views that Indonesia needs a law that focuses on supporting renewable energy. Indonesia can refer to India or China, which already has a Renewable Energy Law so that their renewable energy development is growing rapidly.

“The existence of the Renewable Energy Bill will show the seriousness of the government in developing renewable energy so that it will give a positive signal to stakeholders, especially investors. Currently, regulations regarding renewable energy are at the level of weaker regulations, such as Presidential Regulations, Ministerial Regulations so they are vulnerable to changes and preferences of sectoral ministers, “added Fabby.

Furthermore, in his explanation, Fabby encouraged the EBT Bill to specifically state policies that support renewable energy. Firmness in this policy will be beneficial in creating a market/demand for renewable energy, setting a viable renewable energy price, providing incentives/support for renewable energy exploitation, providing renewable energy development funds, establishing renewable energy governance and institutional arrangements, and increasing community participation in renewable energy development.

Responding to IESR’s explanation, Ridwan Kamil expressed his gratitude and immediately appointed the West Java ESDM Office to explore the technical potential of renewable energy in West Java for better development.