Jakarta – The Indonesian government’s commitment to accelerating the energy transition to 2023 was emphasised at the 13th Session of the Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) meeting in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Saturday. The pressure to accelerate the energy transition process is an urgency that must be prepared by each country in order to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and halt the rate of increase in global temperatures.
Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Arifin Tasrif as one of the Vice Presidents of the Assembly said that this commitment is a real step towards Net Zero Emissions by 2060 or sooner.
“Fast at the same time as Indonesia’s support at the United Nations Climate Conference COP28 to ensure that the program is already running as planned,” Tasrif said at the High Level Plenary Session, according to an official statement of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, today.
Furthermore, he said, the government has begun implementing several energy transition acceleration programs. These include accelerating the development of New and Renewable Energy (NRE), early termination of the operation of the Steam Power Plant (PLTU), cofiring of biomass at the PLTU, a mandatory 30% biodiesel program, and the development of a supergrid electricity network.
Likewise, a legal umbrella has also been prepared, in order to provide conducive business certainty in the NRE sector, so as to increase the utilisation of the development of the NRE industry and the national economy.
On that occasion, Tasrif said Southeast Asia’s role in accelerating the energy transition is one of the aggressive steps carried out through the development of low-carbon technology innovations and large funding. “According to the IRENA report, in 2050 ASEAN will need financing of USD 29.4 trillion, including for fuel, operation and maintenance costs as well as the financing cost scenario with 100% renewable energy,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Director General of IRENA, Francesco La Camera, said that international cooperation plays a big role in the success of the energy transition. “Efforts must be accelerated, while ensuring that the benefits are spread evenly across countries and communities. International cooperation will play an important role in ensuring that all countries have the opportunity to accelerate technology deployment and secure the investments needed to achieve their goals. IRENA membership offers a unique platform to drive the global energy agenda at COP28 and beyond,” said La Camera.
The 13th session of the Assembly was chaired by the Director General of IRENA Francesco La Camera with India’s Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy as President of the 13th Assembly with the theme “World Energy Transitions – The Global Stocktake” and attended by representatives of IRENA member countries and partner organisations cooperation in development. At this meeting, Indonesia became Vice President of the Assembly together with Zimbabwe, Belgium, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. (Hartatik)
Banner photo: Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources
