BBC Indonesia | Issues Missed in the Vice Presidential Debate – Why is Renewable Energy Development Stagnating and Indonesia still Reluctant to ‘Kill’ Coal-Fired Power Plants?

The vice presidential candidate debate on Sunday (21/01) was considered to only be a place to show off jargon without really touching the substance – particularly on energy issues. The event was also considered to lack in-depth discussion about the development of new and renewable energy (EBT) in the midst of big targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce global warming, according to environmental activists and energy analysts.

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Lack of Encouragement for Energy Transition Acceleration from the Three Candidates during the Vice Presidential Debate

Jakarta, January 23, 2024 – The second vice presidential candidate debate, on Sunday (21/1/2024), raised the issue of sustainable development, natural resources, environment, energy, food, agriculture, indigenous peoples, and villages, drawing public attention. Various attack games and mutual insinuations marred the debate.

The Executive Director of the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) and panelist of the second vice presidential debate, Fabby Tumiwa, assessed that the fourth debate of the 2024 Presidential Election (Pilpres) had not prioritized content primarily related to the energy transition. This makes several vital issues related to the economy and the environment far from serious discussion.

“In my opinion, many candidates did not understand the panelists’ questions that the moderator read out. They did not seem to respond to the questions appropriately, and during the question and answer session, the vice president seemed to give insubstantial questions. Thus, I see that the three vice presidential candidates have not debated (debate ideas-ed), “said Fabby Tumiwa in the Kompas TV Special Report program on Tuesday (23/1/2024).

 

Fabby stated that the hot debate between the vice presidential candidates at the Jakarta Convention Center had also yet to discuss essential issues. This cannot be separated from the discussion format, which does not support exploring ideas effectively enough.

Vice Presidential Statement on Debate

The three vice presidential candidates in the second debate had similar views on the transition to green energy. Muhaimin Iskandar, the first Vice Presidential candidate, assesses that the current government’s commitment is not serious in carrying out the energy transition, as shown by the reduction in the target of new renewable energy (NRE) and the delay in carbon tax. For this reason, Muhaimin is committed to accelerating the carbon tax implementation while carrying out the NRE transition.

Vice Presidential candidate number 2, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, said that an equitable low-carbon development policy must stop dependence on fossil energy.

On the other hand, the third Vice Presidential candidate, Mahfud MD, only addressed the issue of resolving natural resources and energy, emphasizing the need for a thorough resolution from upstream to downstream

To find out the facts behind the statements of the three vice presidential candidates at the debate, IESR has held a Live Fact Check of the Vice Presidential Debate via Twitter, which can be accessed on IESR Twitter.

The West Java Energy Exploration: Echoing the Spirit of Energy Transition

press release

Jakarta, January 23, 2024 – The Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR), through the Energy Transition Academy in collaboration with the West Java Energy and Mineral Resources Agency (ESDM) and the Society of Renewable Energy University of Indonesia (SRE UI) has been held The West Java Energy Exploration on January 23-26, 2024. The initiative is to support and promote the implementation of renewable energy in West Java Province to become an example for other regions in Indonesia.

West Java Province was selected as the location for The Energy Exploration (Jelajah Energi) because it has abundant potential for renewable energy sources that can be utilized effectively and sustainably to achieve the net zero emission target by 2060 or earlier. Furthermore, the renewable energy mix in West Java has already reached 25.81% as of 2023, which exceeds the target of 20% set in the Regional Energy General Plan (RUED) for 2025.

Head of the Energy and Mineral Resources Agency (ESDM) of West Java Province, Ai Saadiyah Dwidaningsih, said that the province has renewable energy potential consisting of solar, biomass, geothermal, water, and wind energy of around 192 GW. Despite achieving a high renewable energy mix in 2023, only about 2% of the potential (around 3.41 GW) has been utilized. 

“There are several challenges to the implementation of the energy transition in West Java, including the limited authority of energy affairs in the regions, both provincial and district/city, the oversupply condition of the Java Madura Bali power plant, as well as the concept of renewable energy and energy conservation, is also not widely recognized by the public,” said Ai Saadiyah Dwidaningsih in her remarks at The West Java Energy Exploration. 

Reflecting on these challenges, Ai Saadiyah Dwidaningsih emphasized the importance of cross-sector collaboration in efforts to campaign for energy transition. For this reason, West Java Province has established a Regional Energy Forum. This forum is a forum to discuss strategic issues in the field of energy resources from various perspectives to provide input for policies by the Regional Energy General Plan (RUED) and national energy policies.

“We continue to encourage cross-sector collaboration to echo the energy transition. We see that the energy transition is important because the condition of our earth has entered the era of global boiling, no longer global warming. Without taking concrete steps to reduce emissions, the situation will only deteriorate further,” said Ai Saadiyah Dwidaningsih.

Deon Arinaldo, Energy Transformation Program Manager, IESR, explained that the West Java Energy Exploration is expected to increase public understanding of the benefits and potential of renewable energy. He believes that a wider audience can be reached by visiting areas that utilize renewable energy and sharing stories of successful initiatives from the community, industry, and government. This approach will inspire and encourage independent initiatives from various actors, including the general public, to promote sustainable energy transformation in Indonesia.

“Renewable energy is accessible to everyone and should be utilized. Therefore, we encourage all parties to collaborate in the energy transition. This collaboration should begin with understanding renewable energy and its benefits for the environment and economy. With this knowledge, it is hoped that the community can fully support the implementation of clean energy-based solutions,” said Deon Arinaldo. 

Deon mentioned that to increase public knowledge, IESR has provided an energy transition learning platform called the Energy Transition Academy that can be accessed openly by the public.

 

“Various easily digestible energy transition classes are available at the Energy Transition Academy. Even in the future, there may be various stories of good practices in using renewable energy, including the experience of the West Java Energy Exploration, documented there,” added Deon.

The West Java Energy Exploration team plans to visit nine strategic locations to see the positive impact of utilizing renewable energy. The destinations include PLTSa TPST Bantar Gebang, Cirata Floating Solar PV, Cirata Hydroelectric Power Plant, Gunung Halu MicroHydro, Cofiring and Solar PV PT Kahatex Majalaya, Surya Energi Indonesia, Geothermal Power Plants Kamojang, Biogas & Solar PV Producer Cooperative Karya Nugraha Jaya, and Cirebon Mangrove Ecotourism.