Charcoal
Indonesia to build coal plants despite $20b deal on clean energy transition
JAKARTA — Indonesia will continue building new coal-fired power plants, despite a recent $20 billion deal with the G7 group of industrialized countries to help it transition to clean energy. Activists say this puts the deal, known as the Just Energy Transition Partnership and signed at the G20 summit that Indonesia hosted earlier this month, […]
Indonesia seals $20 billion deal with G7 to speed up clean energy transition
JAKARTA — Indonesia has struck a historic deal with the G7 group of industrialized countries on a $20 billion financing package to help it speed up its transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. The Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) will see the G7 plus Denmark and Norway deliver the funding to Indonesia over the […]
Early retirement for Indonesian coal plants could cut CO2, boost jobs, analysis says
JAKARTA — Indonesia’s plan to retire its coal-fired power plants and replace them with renewable energy by 2050 is not only feasible, but, when environmental costs are considered, will be less costly than relying on coal to power the Indonesian economy, according to a new analysis. Indonesia is often dubbed as the last bastion for […]
Indonesian banks prop up coal industry increasingly shunned by outside lenders
JAKARTA — Indonesia’s four largest banks handed out loans totaling $3.5 billion of direct loans to the coal industry from 2015-2021, despite their stated commitments to sustainable financial practices, a new report shows. The report by a coalition of civil society groups looked at loans made by BNI, BRI and Bank Mandiri, all state-owned lenders, […]
Emissions and deforestation set to spike under Indonesia’s biomass transition
JAKARTA — Indonesia’s program to wean itself off coal by burning it alongside progressively higher amounts of woody biomass will threaten more than a million hectares of rainforest and result in massive net carbon emissions, a new analysis shows. This process of cutting coal with materials such as wood pellets, oil palm kernels and sawdust […]
As Jakarta chokes on toxic air, Indonesian government stalls on taking action
JAKARTA — Jakarta’s recent episode of world-beating air pollution has highlighted what activists describe as belligerent inaction by the Indonesian government to address the source of the problem, even in the face of a ruling by the nation’s top court ordering it to act. On June 20, readings for PM2.5, a class of airborne pollutants […]
Planned coal plants fizzle as Japan ends financing in Indonesia, Bangladesh
JAKARTA — Major coal-fired power plant projects in Indonesia and Bangladesh have effectively been cancelled after the Japanese government, their main funder, recently announced it would stop providing loans to build such plants in the two countries. For Indonesia in particular, the move also means the loss of the top three foreign funders of coal […]
Coal miner Bayan sues Indonesian investment chief over loss of land
JAKARTA — Indonesian coal mining company Bayan Resources has challenged the government’s decision to revoke its permits and effectively shrink its concession area. The legal challenge is the latest in an ongoing battle over mining concessions in Indonesian Borneo between Bayan and another mining company, PT Senyiur Sukses Pratama (SSP). On April 8, five Bayan […]
Mine pits expose the holes in Indonesia’s plan to relocate its capital
JAKARTA — The Indonesian government’s controversial plan to move the nation’s capital from Jakarta to Borneo has hit one of several snags that critics have long warned about: the presence of thousands of abandoned coal-mining pits at the site of the new city. The environment minister, Siti Nurbaya Bakar, revealed the scale of the problem […]
Indonesian bill turns coal-derived fuels clean by ignoring true scale of emissions
JAKARTA — Indonesia looks set to continue its heavy reliance on coal in its energy mix under a legislative sleight of hand: it will define fuels derived from coal as “new energy” and ignore any carbon emissions associated with them as “minimal.” The proposal has drawn heavy criticism from energy experts, who say it contradicts […]