Day: November 26, 2021

The Indonesian government is continuing to maximize the utilization of coal potential in the country through the downstreaming process, Director of Coal Business Development at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Sujatmiko has said.

Through industrial downstreaming, coal commodities could continue to drive the national economy in the future, he remarked at the Indonesia EBTKE ConEx event here on Friday.

According to Sujatmiko, the government is processing coal to produce dimethyl ether and raw materials for petrochemical plants.

“With the downstreaming, our coal will be converted into gas. Then, the gas can be (used) as dimethyl ether, and it can replace LNG and coal syngas (synthesis gas). Again, LNG can be utilized for methanol, fertilizer, and petrochemical plant needs,” he expounded.

Dimethyl ether has potential to be used as a fuel in the future because it can serve as a substitute for LPG (liquified petroleum gas), he added.

Thus, through the gasification of coal into dimethyl ether, the government is seeking to extend the utilization period of coal as a primary energy source, he explained.

Based on calculations by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) in 2020, coal resources in Indonesia stand at 143 billion tons, coal reserves at 38.8 billion tons, and assumed production at 600 million tons per year, Sujatmiko noted.

The nation’s coal reserves are adequate for 65 years, even if there is no addition to the stock, he said.

Nevertheless, he explained, coal production is expected to continue to increase over the next 20 years to meet national and global energy needs.

The ESDM Ministry had earlier recorded that coal production reached just 550 million tons last year. It projected production would rise to 633 million tons by 2025, 684 million tons by 2030, and slightly decline to 678 million tons by 2040.

On account of this, the downstreaming of coal can serve as a primary buffer to anticipate the deficit of gas stock in the country, Sujatmiko said.

“We hope this huge potential in coal can drive the national economy,” he added.

Source: Antara News

The West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) provincial government has begun preparations for the region to host the MotoGP at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit in Central Lombok District in March 2022.

Secretary of the NTB Provincial Administration Lalu Gita Ariadi said that the successful implementation of the Asian Talent Cup (IATC) and World Superbike (WSBK) in NTB had become an evaluation to re-prepare Mandalika as the host of MotoGP in 2022.

“Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah), the IATC and WSBK events in Mandalika went smoothly. Hopefully, we would be able to do better, as we prepare our region to host the 2022 MotoGP at the Mandalika Circuit,” Ariadi stated at the IATC and WSBK Analysis and Evaluation Meeting here on Friday.

Ariadi later noted that the success of organizing the two international events was an achievement, considering that this was the first time that NTB Province had held an international-scale racing event.

To this end, he appealed to all supporting regional committees to strengthen collaboration in an effort to support the 2022 MotoGP in Mandalika.

“The supporting regional committees must work well together to ensure that next year’s MotoGP event will run smoothly,” he stated.

Ariadi also noted that the NTB provincial government was striving to handle various national agendas that were planned to be held in NTB, with focus on preparing for the 2022 MotoGP.

“The provincial government is striving to handle national agendas that will be held at the Mandalika Special Economic Zone (SEZ), so that we can focus on hosting the 2022 MotoGP without any significant disruption,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the NTB Police Chief, Inspector General Mohammad Iqbal, stated that his personnel were ready to maintain security, especially in improving the quality of service, as they had learnt from the evaluation of the IATC and WSBK events.

“We will continue to improve our service for the community, because we are really enthusiastic and ready to secure the MotoGP event in March 2022,” Iqbal noted.

During the implementation of IATC and WSBK, three variables had been successfully implemented before, during, and after the event, he added.

“Those three variables are related to land disputes, the implementation of health protocols, and extraordinary security. We will improve our work, especially for the 2022 MotoGP event,” he noted.

Source: Antara News

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has signed the Presidential Decree No. 19 of 2021 confirming Indonesia’s Membership at the ASEAN Center of Military Medicine (ACMM).

There were four considerations for the issuance of the Presidential Decree, as stated in its digital copy uploaded on the State Secretariat Ministry’s documentation and legal information webpage jdih.setneg.go.id on Friday.

The first consideration was that Indonesia routinely and actively sends its military personnel including medical personnel to international missions as one of the National Defense Forces (TNI)’s main tasks in military operation other than war.

Second, on May 25, 2016, in Vientiane, Laos, Indonesia and other ASEAN member states signed the Joint Declaration of the ASEAN Defence Ministers on Promoting Defence Cooperation for a Dynamic ASEAN Community, which adopted the terms of reference of the ASEAN Center of Military Medicine, it said.

The third consideration was that Indonesia wants to increase its active role in international cooperation in the military medicine field with other ASEAN member states and between ASEAN member states and Plus countries. Indonesia deems it necessary to be a member of the ASEAN Center of Military Medicine.

The fourth was based on the previous three considerations, thus, the President decided to issue a decree regarding the Determination of Indonesia’s Membership at ACMM, the ministry said.

The Presidential decree determines Indonesia’s membership, rights, and obligations as per the prevailing rules of ACMM and the provisions of law, it added.

All costs that are subject to Indonesia’s determination as an ACMM member will be borne by the state budget (APBN) and other legitimate and non-binding sources that follow legal provisions.

The Presidential Decree No. 19 of 2021 was signed in Jakarta on November 9, 2021.

The ASEAN Center of Military Medicine has a mission to establish practical, effective, and sustainable cooperation in military medical services for ASEAN Plus countries, both in normal and crisis situations, according to its official website.

Source: Antara News

Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) have thanked the Presidential Staff Office (KSP) for the help it extended in their safe and smooth repatriation from Hong Kong in accordance with the COVID-19 health protocols.

“We are grateful for the government’s hard work, especially Mr. Moeldoko (Chief of KSP) and KSP that have paid attention to us in Hong Kong by handing out many masks since the pandemic began,” said Nur Meliana, one of the Indonesian migrant workers in Hong Kong, according to a KSP press release received here on Friday.

Migrant workers who returned to the country were also provided free quarantine facilities, adequate food, and COVID-19 vaccines, Meliana noted.

However, Meliana, who is from Lampung, said she is worried that her colleagues, who returned home for annual leave, would not be able to go back to Hong Kong due to strict regulations there, especially the 21-day quarantine requirement.

“The problem is that the quarantine hotels are fully booked until the end of the year, even though many employers are willing to pay the hotel fees,” she said.

In addition, according to her, Indonesian migrant workers planning to return to Hong Kong will also have to deal with constantly changing flight schedules. That is how the work visas of many migrant workers have expired, she explained.

Hence, she said she hopes that the Indonesian government can offer assistance to migrant workers who already hold Hong Kong identification cards.

KSP’s chief expert, Fadjar Dwi Wishnuwardhani, said that KSP has coordinated with the Ministry of Manpower to provide assistance to PMI.

“We hope the Hong Kong government can give privilege to migrant workers,” Wishnuwardhani said.

He also claimed that KSP has been intensively monitoring migrant workers in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This effort is in accordance with President Joko Widodo’s direction to provide protection and convenience for migrant workers, both those who have returned to the country and those who are still abroad,” he added002E

Source: Antara News