Day: November 22, 2021

The use of renewable energy in Indonesia has only reached 0.3 percent of the total potential of the country, the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has said.

Indonesia has clean energy potential of 3,64.4 gigawatts, comprising 3,294.4 gigawatts of solar energy, 94.6 gigawatts hydropower, 56.9 gigawatts bioenergy, 154.9 gigawatts wind power, 23.7 gigawatts geothermal energy, and 59.9 gigawatts marine energy, secretary of the Directorate General of New, Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation, Sahid Junaidi, informed at an online discussion observed here on Monday.

Of the total potential, only 10,889 megawatts of clean energy has been utilized, comprising 194 megawatts of solar energy, 6,432 megawatts hydroenergy, 1,923 megawatts bioenergy, 154 megawatts wind power, and 2,186 megawatts geothermal energy, he said.

“In addition to renewable energy, a variety of new energy potentials are still little known, such as nuclear and hydrogen power,” he added.

Junaidi said Indonesia’s oil consumption is still higher than production, thus increasing the need for imports that lead to a trade balance deficit.

Given its big potential, it would be important for the country to optimize the use of new and renewable energy as an alternative energy source, he added.

“The goal is to reduce dependence on oil as fuel or other conventional energy sources,” Junaidi explained.

The ministry has continued to strive to achieve the target to become carbon neutral based on five main principles, namely increase the use of clean energy, reduce fossil energy, increase the use of electric vehicles for transportation, increase the use of electricity for household and industrial sectors, and utilize clean technology for carbon capture and storage, he said.

In the past five years, the capacity of clean energy generation has increased by 1,469 megawatts, or 4 percent per year on average, he added.

During January to September 2021, the clean energy generation capacity has increased 386 megawatts and has been sourced from hydropower, mini-hydro, geothermal, bioenergy, and solar energy, he said.

In order to reach its ambitious target set out in the Long-Term Strategy on Low Carbon and Climate Resilience, the ministry has developed a roadmap that outlines the efforts needed for the development of new renewable energy, reduction of fossil fuels, and clean technologies application to achieve carbon neutrality in 2060, he added.

Source: Antara News

Good synergy and coordination between stakeholders are key to realizing integrated and sustainable transportation in the Greater Jakarta area (Jabodetabek), Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has said.

“We, together with stakeholders, continue to strive to provide reliable urban transportation services in Jabodetabek. The government continues to push for various innovations and efforts to integrate cross-mode, to create seamless and sustainable mobility for the community,” he said in a statement received here on Monday.

Jakarta and its satellite cities (Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi) contribute to economic growth in Indonesia, the minister noted.

He said that with a relatively massive population, which is mostly made up of the productive age group, the need for mobility is high. It must be facilitated by providing excellent transportation services, he added.

“With the convenience of public transportation services, public dependence and trust in public transportation will increase, which, in turn, can increase the number (share) of users,” Sumadi said.

Meanwhile, head of the Greater Jakarta Transportation Management Agency (BPTJ), Polana B. Pramesti, said that the population growth rate in Jabodetabek is estimated to be around 2.32–2.64 percent per year from 2020 to 2030.

The majority of activities and the economy are still concentrated in Jakarta, and a large number of people are choosing to live in Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi, resulting in an increasing number of commuter trips, she added.

The need for community movement has reached 88 million people every day while the total population of Jabodetabek is 33.83 million people, she highlighted.

“This growth encourages the development of various types of public transportation services in Greater Jakarta area, such as Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), urban trains such as KRL (commuter line), LRT (light rail transit), MRT (mass rapid transist), taxis, online transportation, and so on,” she elaborated.

The need for passenger travel is increasingly complex and the transfer of transportation modes has not been properly facilitated or fully integrated, she noted.

The development of the transportation system in Greater Jakarta is still fragmented, causing the journeys to be longer, less comfortable, and more expensive, Pramesti said. Thus, the support and cooperation of the central government, local governments, and other stakeholders is needed, she added.

“With good synergy, it is expected that we can realize seamless and sustainable transportation services, in accordance with the needs and expectations of the Greater Jakarta people,” she remarked.

Source: Antara News

The sales of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) at the Mandalika World Superbike (WSBK) bazaar on November 19–21, 2021 crossed Rp100 million, the Mataram city government has informed.

The WSBK was held at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit, Central Lombok District, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Province.

“Alhamdulillah (praises be to God), our 22 MSMEs could sell up to 75 percent of their products at the bazaar,” head of the Industry, Cooperatives, and Small and Medium Enterprises Office of Mataram city, Dedi Supriadi, said here on Monday.

The revenue from sales was quite huge, considering that the bazaar was held for the first time and there was a sudden downpour on the last two days of the event, he added.

“If it did not rain, the transaction value may have been higher. Still, we were grateful for the event,” he said.

While many MSME items were sold at the bazaar, such as handicrafts and processed food products, most visitors favored pearl souvenirs, Supriadi informed.”Meanwhile, for processed foods, seaweed and snacks were the most purchased items,” the office head said.

He said he expected that in the future, small businesses from Mataram city will be involved again in national and international events at the circuit to help recover the people’s economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition, he said he hoped that in the next bazaar, the location of the MSME booths will be closer to the circuit area.

He admitted that the location of the MSMEs booths was strategic as they were in front of the ticketing booths, thus all WSBK spectators would have to pass through the bazaar before entering the circuit.

“However, we hope that the distance between the bazaar and the circuit will not be too far,” he added.

Source: Antara News

West Sumatra railway reactivation is aimed at maintaining its heritage value so it can act as a tourist attraction in addition to serving as a transformation tool, an official has said.

“Almost all railways in West Sumatra have historical value because they have been inherited from the Dutch. The rail track is also integrated with the Ombilin Coal Mine in Sawahlunto, which was approved as a UNESCO World Heritage,” head of the West Sumatra Transportation Office, Heri Nofiardi, said in Padang City on Monday.

The Ombilin Coal Mine has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage since the 32nd World Heritage Committee Session in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2019, and its existence deserves to be maintained, he added.

Maintaining the West Sumatra railway’s heritage value was also one of the focuses of Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi when he reviewed the railway reactivation plan in West Sumatra on Saturday (Nov 20), Nofiardi said.

“The minister directly marked some railway bridges that must be strengthened but their heritage value should not be eliminated,” he added.

The reactivation must have a benefit or function value. Hence, state railway company PT KAI has been asked to deliver innovations that can result in benefits to the company as well as to the community, he informed.

One of the efforts to integrate the transportation system in West Sumatra, he pointed out, is making the final train travel station a node of integration with other modes of transportation, such as state bus firm DAMRI.

Thus, people who disembark at the final station can directly get access to other choices of transportation for their destination, he added.

According to Nofiardi, the idea can be applied to the Kayu Tanam station, which is the last station on the active route of Padang-Kayu Tanam. Moreover, there are several tourist destinations a few kilometers from the station.

If Kayu Tanam station has direct bus access to tourist destinations, many people will use trains, he said.

Naras Station at Padang Pariaman also has the potential to be developed as a transit point for goods, such as CPO (crude palm oil) that is delivered from the north of West Sumatra to Teluk Bayur Padang Seaport, he added.

If Naras Station is used as a transit point for goods, cement commodities can be transported from PT Semen Padang to be distributed to the northern area, he explained.

If so, the density of the Padang Pariaman-Padang highway and vice versa can be reduced, while decreasing the risk of highway accidents, he said.

Meanwhile, vice president of KAI regional division II in West Sumatra, Miming Kuncoro, said the company has started some innovations, such as providing train cars for non-folding bicycles on the Sibinuang Train from Padang to Naras Station.

Source: Antara News

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) acknowledged the fact that the partnership between the ASEAN and China dating back 30 years had yielded several concrete results for both regions, especially in the economic sector.

“Our trade in 1991 was worth US$8.36 billion, while last year, it reached more than US$685.28 billion, an 82-fold increase under 30 years,” Jokowi remarked while attending a Special Summit to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations at the Presidential Palace here on Monday.

The president noted that China had become the largest trading partner for the ASEAN for the past 12 years.

The Indonesian head of state highlighted that the two-way cumulative investment had also exceeded US$310 billion over the past three decades, thereby placing China as the fourth-largest source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) of all ASEAN Speech Partners.

The strong relationship between the ASEAN and China requires hard work, one of which is through building trust for a more solid, mutual, and beneficial partnership for the next three decades, the president emphasized.

“That mutual trust can be realized if we all respect the international law,” he affirmed.

Jokowi called to empower the ASEAN-China partnership in order to transform the region into an economic powerhouse while emphasizing on the importance of balanced trade to be pursued.

“Hence, cooperation to support transition in terms of the economy, energy, and digitalization becomes imminent for going forward,” he highlighted.

To realize a firmer relationship and efforts of transition, he noted that the ASEAN and China were responsible for ensuring peace and stability in the region. Jokowi believes that there will be no prosperity without peace and stability.

“Let us strengthen cooperation to recover together, recover stronger,” he affirmed.

The president also extended his congratulations on the 30 years of ASEAN-China partnership. He is positive that the comprehensive strategic partnership will lead ASEAN and China to take a giant leap.

At the ASEAN-China Special Summit, Jokowi was accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, Director General of ASEAN Cooperation at the Foreign Affairs Ministry Sidharto R. Suryodipuro, and Indonesian Permanent Representative to the ASEAN Derry Aman.

Source: Antara News