Day: March 20, 2022

The B20 Energy, Sustainability & Climate Task Force, led by state-owned oil giant PT Pertamina (Persero), has provided policy recommendations and actions for sustainable energy transition.

The statement was delivered by Chair of B20 Energy, Sustainability, and Climate Task Force Nicke Widyawati during the 3rd stakeholder consultation task force energy, sustainability and climate sustainable finance held virtually on Friday (18/3).

The Business 20, or B20, is an outreach group from the G20 that represents the international business community.

“So as part of engaging group in the G20, the B20 Energy, Sustainability & Climate Task Force will provide policy recommendations and actions for sustainable energy transition with three focus on part of priority issue that trigger to the outline of President Joko Widodo’s directive,” Widyawati, concurrently the president director and CEO of PT Pertamina, stated.

In accordance with the directive President Joko Widodo had delivered at the G20 Summit last year, the G20 must become the curtains for bringing recovery and going hand in hand with the principles of energy security, energy equity, and environmental sustainability, she said.

To this end, there were three focus areas, she said. First, accelerating the transition to sustainable energy use by enhancing global cooperation to accelerate the transition to sustainable energy use by reducing carbon intensity of energy use.

“Second, ensuring a just, orderly and affordable transition by enhancing global cooperation to assure sustainable energy use across developed and developing countries,” Widyawati said.

Third, enhancing global cooperation on increasing consumer level energy security by improving access to energy and ability to consume clean and modern energy.

The task force is aware of the importance of ratification of renewable energy based generation and energy efficiency as the main pillars of the energy transition and investment in technology and energy sector, she said.

The B20 Energy, Sustainability & Climate Task Force becomes a very valuable source for a range of perspectives, she said.

She stated that rising greenhouse concentration in the atmosphere is causing global warming leading to climate change, ocean acidification and biodiversity losses.

“The largest contribution to greenhouse gas emission comes from the energy sector which makes the transition to sustainable energy use becomes the most critical challenges of our time,” Widyawati said.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates and indicates that the global average temperature last approximately 1.1 degrees Celcius above the industrial level. The consensus limit to avoid catastrophe climate change is being limited to a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celcius, she said.

“So there is a limitation period that we have to take drastic action to accelerate net-zero emission and to curb greenhouse gas emission,” she said, adding that the carbon emission contribution from energy is in the range of 20 percent up to 36 percent compared to the deforestation which is in the range of 44 percent up to 62 percent, she said.

However, Widyawati emphasized, this cannot be an excuse for industry players especially in energy sector to not take part in reducing greenhouse gas emission.

She said that global cooperation for government capacity enhancement institutionally formed market development, sharing of technology, and financing.

“In our policy recommendations, several parties involved in the energy, sustainable and climate task force G20 include co-chair from g20 business actors as well as more than 140 members that provide inputs in the directions of the policy recommendations and issue priority. The most important thing is aligned with stakeholders so the proposed policy recommendations and actions from our task force will be aligned with the directions of Indonesia’s policy in G20,” Widyawati said.

She said that the stakeholder consultation event aims to obtain inputs from the stakeholders especially regarding sustainable finance.

The policy recommendations represented the views of business actors and finance sector institutions, she stated.

Meanwhile, B20 Indonesia Sherpa Rizal Affandi Lukman said that the continuous task force discussion was definitely important to collect relevant information, ideas and insights from a wide range of relevant stakeholders.

“We all have priority topics to be the basis of our works . However, without inputs from people who know exactly the trends of potential challenges on the ground as well as from different angels and perspectives, the recommendations will be just nice to read on the paper,” Lukman said.

The issues on energy, sustainability and climate are very relevant to many parties this day, he remarked.

B20 Indonesia is keen to hear the stakeholders’ concerns, feedbacks on numerous issues such as decarbonization, climate investment and financing carbon market ecosystem, and how sustainability project are reported and accounted, Lukman said.

This is a good example of inclusive and collaborative policy formulations, he added.

Source: Antara News

The Directorate General of Sea Transportation of the Transportation Ministry has extended the operational period of the KM Kelud free floating hotel anchored at Gili Mas Pier until March 21, 2022 for MotoGP spectators.

“MotoGP spectators who have difficulties finding accommodation, they can take advantage of this floating accommodation,” Acting Director General of Sea Transportation Captain Mugen Sartoto said in a statement, Sunday.

He informed that the floating hotel was an accommodation support during the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia or MotoGP Series which took place at the super-priority tourist attraction, Mandalika, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).

Floating accommodation can become a solution since it is free of charge and equipped with adequate facilities. This floating hotel also offers a different experience for guests, rather than staying in a hotel room, Sartoto continued.

For this reason, he invites MotoGP spectators to stay at the K.M Kelud floating hotel prepared by the Directorate General of Sea Transportation and state-owned ferry operator, PT PELNI.

“We want to help people who are looking for accommodation before returning to their origin area. Also for the spectators who have not got a return ticket so they do not get stranded, considering that the occupancy of lodging in Mandalika is also high,” he remarked.

Guests who plan to stay at K.M Kelud are required to have a ticket for the 2022 MotoGP Series in Mandalika, show a certificate for two or three dose of vaccination, have the PeduliLindungi application on their phone, bring their own toiletries and personal towels, and reserve the room before their arrival since the ship does not accept walk-in.

The government also provides a shuttle service from Gili Mas Pier to Mandalika at 06.00-12.00 local times and from Mandalika to Gili Mas at 12.00-06.00 local time from March 17-21, 2022.

Floating hotel K.M Kelud prepares 1,500 beds with prayer rooms, canteens, and other public facilities.

Guests can contact Rsvhotelapung@ppl.ac.id to book their room by attaching their name, address, identity card number, phone number, their MotoGP ticket, and their vaccine certificate for two or three doses.

Source: Antara News

South Sumatera Deputy Governor Mawardi Yahya called on local young people joining the first pre-summit of Y20, held in Palembang from March 19 to 20, to echo their critical thoughts actively as the event offered an opportunity for them to exchange ideas with their counterparts from national and international delegations.

They could discuss solutions to social, health, environmental, economic, and technological issues he said at the first pre-summit of Y20 in Palembang, the capital of South Sumatra Province, on Sunday.

“The critical thoughts will be channeled at the peak of Y20 summit. We aim to provide progress for the region, the country, and even for members of generation, including young people who will become the successors of this nation,” he said.

He later informed that the Provincial Government really appreciates the Indonesian Youth Diplomacy (IYD) as the official organizer of the 2022 Y20 Indonesia Summit for selecting Palembang as one of the hosts of this first pre-summit of the Y20.

“We are grateful for this opportunity. We hope that this activity in the future can stimulate young people in South Sumatera to broaden their horizons and establish networks with their global partners so that they can be more advanced,” he added.

Meanwhile, the first pre-summit of the Y20 in Palembang was attended by 100 selected participants coming from various regions in the province.

The participants actively get involved in discussing four priority issues — youth employment, digital transformation, sustainable and liveable planet, as well as diversity and inclusion — along with 16 delegates from the G20 members.

Among them are Edu Arechaga (Observer – Spain), Rodolfo Ivan Garcia Gonzalez (Embassy, Mexico), Cosimo Thawley (Embassy, Australia), Faransina (IPLC – Observer), Gustav Dahlin (Embassy – Sweden), Arezo K (Refugee / UNHCR Observer), Dinesh NV (ASEAN Finalist), Trinh Thuy Ngan (ASEAN Finalist), Jorge Martin Quaranta (Embassy, Argentina), Koichi (Embassy, Japan), Avantika (Embassy, India), Monika Firlus (Embassy, Poland), Michael Scott VG (US Youth), Hugo (UK Embassy) Burak Avci (Embassy, Turkey), and Tom Miller (US Youth).

The opening session of this first pre-summit of the Y20 in Palembang which was held on March 19 was attended by Minister of Youth and Sports Zainudin Amali, Minister of Manpower Ida Fauzia, and Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi through virtual broadcasts.

Source: Antara News

The government’s social protection program is aimed at addressing poverty issues in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vice President Ma’ruf Amin pointed out.

In order to prevent the poverty and other social issues from getting worse, the government has prepared some social protection programs as countermeasures, Amin said in a press statement received here on Sunday.

The Vice President mentioned two approaches to surmount the poverty issues, namely social protection through the provision of social assistance programs and community empowerment that involved the public in decision-making process at community level, in terms of development. That way, the people would have a sense of contribution to the program’s development, not just receive the final results.

On the other hand, to optimize the national economic recovery, the government has continued to improve the coordination among relevant ministries and agencies, so that the social assistance could reach the target, the Vice President said.

Amin acknowledged that a lot of funds managed by the government were allocated for the COVID-19 pandemic handling, and it impacted other budget-based government programs.

“Some time ago, indeed (the budget) was mostly (aimed for) refocusing. All of the funding was meant to address (the issue of) pandemic, so everything else (the programs) was affected by pandemic,” he elaborated.

The Vice President emphasized that the national economy was currently in the recovery stage, and it would need further assistance to encourage the development of micro, small, and medium enterprises.

Source: Antara News

The Indonesian Ministry of Transportation has anticipated a possible surge in passengers from West Nusa Tenggara Province that may happen on Sunday night following the end of the MotoGP series in Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit in Central Lombok District.

“It is possible that there will be a spike in passenger movement on Sunday night since MotoGP spectators start to leave Lombok. We have coordinated with stakeholders and operators to anticipate it,” Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said in a press statement received on Sunday.

After visiting the Lombok International Airport, Sumadi said he had coordinated with aviation stakeholders, both airport managers and airlines, to prepare go show tickets or tickets purchased on the departure day.

“We have prepared large-bodied Boeing 777 aircraft from Garuda Indonesia but it is not enough. Therefore, we also prepared go show tickets for the Lombok-Bali route. MotoGP spectators who want to visit Bali can buy the go show tickets,” he said.

Sumadi informed that from March 18 to Sunday, there had been an increase in the number of inbound passengers in Mandalika.

“Until today, the transportation connectivity service is running smoothly,” he remarked.

Data from the Directorate General of Air Transportation of the Transportation Ministry said that to anticipate the spike in passengers going to and from Mandalika, there have been 59 additional flights provided. They consist of 38 extra flights, 14 charter flights, and 7 positioning flights, with a total of 9,392 seats.

In total, the Ministry of Transportation has made three efforts, namely preparing extra flights, charter flights, and positioning flights, with a total of 168 flights with a total capacity of 29,300 seats.

Of the total 168 flights, 135 flights are extra flights with a capacity of more than 25,000 seats, with routes from Jakarta – Lombok around 19,000 seats, Denpasar (Bali)-Lombok 2,718 seats, and Surabaya-Lombok 3,834 seats.

Meanwhile, there are 22 charter flights with a capacity of around 3,500 seats, with details namely from Jakarta-Lombok with12 flights and 2,023 seats, Denpasar (Bali)-Lombok with eight flights and 1,116 seats, and Surabaya-Lombok with two flights and 360 seats.

For positioning flights, 11 aircraft are prepared to be on standby for three days during the MotoGP, with details from Jakarta-Lombok with six flights, Denpasar-Lombok with three flights, and Surabaya-Lombok with two flights.

In addition to air transportation, the Ministry has also prepared sea transportation facilities, both via passenger ships and roll on-roll off ships to a number of areas such as Bali, Surabaya, and surrounding areas.

Source: Antara News

President Joko Widodo and First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo arrived at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Province to watch the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia or the 2022 MotoGP series on Sunday.

“President Jokowi is scheduled to hand over the trophy to the winner on the podium,” the Press, Media, and Information Bureau of the Presidential Secretariat Office informed on Sunday.

Jokowi and his entourage departed from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten Province, to West Nusa Tenggara at around 10.30 a.m.local time by using the Presidential Aircraft 1.

Arriving at the Zainuddin Abdul Madjid Lombok International Airport in Central Lombok District, President Jokowi directly went to the Mandalika Circuit in the Mandalika Special Economic Zone to watch the MotoGP series, scheduled to start at 03.00 p.m. Central Indonesia Time (WITA).

After watching the MotoGP race, the Head of State is scheduled get back to the Zainuddin Abdul Madjid Lombok International Airport to take off to the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Badung District, Bali Province.

In Bali, Jokowi will inaugurate the opening of the 144th Session of The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and other related sessions taking place at Mangupura Hall, Bali International Convention Center (BICC) in Badung District.

In addition, Jokowi is also planning to hold a meeting with South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug.

After the meeting, the President will return to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang.

Those joining President Jokowi’s entourage included State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, Head of the Presidential Secretariat Heru Budi Hartono, Presidential Military Secretary Rear Marshal M. Tonny Harjono, Commander of Presidential Security Guards (Paspampres) Major General Tri Budi Utomo, and Deputy for Protocol, Press, and Media from Presidential Secretariat Office Bey Machmudin.

Source: Antara News

The marshals for the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia or the 2022 MotoGP series in Mandalika received praise from the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and the Race Director, Mike Webb, for the readiness.

“Webb said he was satisfied with the performance of marshals at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit,” Managing Director of the Mandalika Grand Prix Association (MGPA), Priandhi Satria said in a written statement on Sunday.

The marshals are said to be very capable and agile in cleaning the track surface and have shown a rapid increase in ability since they were employed in the MotoGP event, held in Indonesia for the first time after 25 years.

“They work really well,” Satria remarked.

Some 300 marshals consist of youth groups from Pujut Sub-district, NTB Mobile Brigade Police, the National Search and Rescue (Agency) rescuers, and companions of several marshals from Malaysia.

Satria said the Indonesian marshals had worked efficiently during one of the major incidents that occurred when the underside part of Alex Rins’ motorbike (Suzuki Ecstar) caught fire after Turn 12 and he left his motorbike at Turn 13.

The incident left oil on the track that made the session entered Red Flag. However, some of the marshals who have served in Mandalika since the World Superbike (WSBK) on 19-21 November 2021 worked quickly.

“They extinguished the fire, removed debris, and cleaned the oil in the track so the session could continue. Webb was satisfied with the marshals’ skill and efficiency in extinguishing the fire and cleaning the track surface from traces of gasoline and oil,” he conveyed.

Satria further mentioned how Webb saw the track officials showing positive developments from pre-season until now.

“Marshals show improvement from the pre-season in February until today,” he said.

He addressed that the knowledge of these local marshals had been more developed after receiving inputs from several marshals from Malaysia who were brought in to share their experiences.

Satria mentioned that several rider accidents that occurred on the second day were not caused by track factors. Citing the FIM’s explanation, as the authority that graded Mandalika Circuit with Grade A homologation, the accidents were not related to an error on the track.

“That was the FIM’s own evaluation after seeing the track conditions. Today, I spoke to Mike Webb and he said everything happened today had nothing to do with the homologation that had been given,” Satria noted.

He also explained that his party had made minor improvements to the track surface on March 19 by repairing and adding gravel on the circuit.

Source: Antara News

Heavy rain showering the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) on Sunday afternoon delayed the start of the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia or the 2022 MotoGP series in Mandalika.

The drizzle started to fall at the end of the Moto2 race and was getting heavier towards 03:00 p.m. local time as the original schedule for the MotoGP race to start.

The race director decided to postpone the race and commanded the Safety Car to circle the circuit to check train conditions during rain.

The pit lane was planned to be reopened at 03:55 p.m. but the committee again postponed the race for an undetermined time.

The riders had already anticipated the unpredictable weather in Mandalika since similar conditions had been experienced during the World Superbike (WSBK) season in November 2021.

Race1 which was originally scheduled on Saturday had to be postponed to Sunday due to the heavy rains. The start of Race2 in the afternoon was also delayed due to rain at around 03:00 p.m. local time.

Fabio Quartararo claimed the pole position with a record of 1:31,067 overshadowed by the Pramac Racing team duo, Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco who completed the front row.

Brad Binder (KTM), Qatar GP champion Enea Bastianini (Gresini) will start the race from the second row with Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati), who must pass Q1 first.

Bastianini is currently leading the riders’ standings from his first win in MotoGP when he took the podium in Qatar.

Bastianini on a Ducati GP21 motorbike proved to be one of the serious threats to rivals after a promising start to the season.

Brad Binder also took the podium in Qatar for the first time for KTM in Lusail after finishing P2 ahead of Pol Espargaro.

Meanwhile, rider from Repsol Honda Marc Marquez was declared unfit for racing following an accident he experienced in the warm-up session on Sunday morning.

Marquez experienced a high side until he bounced off his motorbike at Turn 7. The rider’s RC213V motorbike was also badly damaged by the impact at a fairly high speed in the flowing corner.

The Spanish rider was able to stand and walk after the crash but had to undergo a medical examination in the paddock before being taken by medical officers to the hospital.

“After Marquez had a serious accident today he was rushed to a local hospital in Lombok where he underwent a number of serious tests and returned here,” MotoGP Medical Director Angel Charte said in Mandalika on Sunday.

Charte informed that Marquez had no serious injuries following the observations in the next few hours, however the circuit doctor and the team still declared Marquez unfit for the race.

“Marquez will return to Barcelona for further examination,” Charte noted.

Marquez previously had two accidents during the first qualifying session (Q1). After several slides, Marquez suffered a low-side and crashed at Turn 13 with five minutes remaining before rushing back to the garage to change bikes and get back on track.

In his last attempt, Marquez tried to push hard but he crashed again for low-side at Turn 12 and vented his anger on the gravel.

Source: Antara News