Indonesia: RE’s Ministerial Regulation vs Coal Power Plant project

picture source: greenpeace.org

Jakarta — The Government seeks to provide and utilize efficient renewable energy. The development of renewable energy, even, is currently focused by the government in accordance with the Ministerial Regulation of Energy and Mineral Resources No. 12 Year 2017 which regulates Utilization of Renewable Energy Sources for the Provision of Electric Power. The purpose of the ministerial regulation issuance is to improve governance to related cases.

In the socialization linked to the issuance of Ministerial Regulation No. 10 and No. 12 Year 2017, Teguh Pamudji as Secretary General of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources stated “The government is also willing to increase the electrification of electricity or electricity distribution in Indonesia by utilizing renewable energy in a region. The potential of renewable energy and energy conservation is prospective — Its utilization is appropriated to the economic scale and adapted to remote areas.”

Various opinions are still the subject of discussion; role of renewable energy is expected to meet the minimum target 23% by 2050 and 31% of the total final energy if the economic scale on demand afterwards. This is a polemic for the parties considering Indonesia still relies on fossil energy consumption, especially coal as the main energy source of power plant. Under the General Plan of Electricity Supply 2016–2025, the government plans to build coal power plant with total capacity 31,982.5 MW in Indonesia entirely. To cope with burgeoning amount of carbon dioxide emissions, the government contrives Clean Coal Technology (CCT) or Carbon Capture Storage (CCS) which eventually contributes 5.4 million tons of carbon dioxide per year to 1000 MW. It assumes around 172 million tons carbon dioxide will be released to the atmosphere in total per year.

Massive coal power plant projects have serious effects on rising earth temperatures, premature deaths, environmental degradation, climate catastrophe etc — The trifle is respiratory disorder due to released toxic in coal burnt and the dangerous one is killing people by slowly being cooked on earth (heat waves).

It is not too late to alleviate the role of coal power plants by setting a more ambitious target to increase the share of renewable energy in the national energy mix to replace coal by 2030. Besides, keeping track of carbon footprints’ transparency allows people and practitioners to control raising temperature below 1.5 degrees.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade