by: Firdaus Cahyadi*
At the recent G20 Summit in Brazil, President Prabowo Subianto revealed that Indonesia will accelerate the phase-out of all coal-fired power plants. According to him, Indonesia will stop all coal and fossil fuel power plants in the next 15 years. This is faster than the previous target of 2056. Does this statement indicate that the Indonesian government will be more serious about starting the energy transition, or is it an entry point for the emergence of false solutions in the name of green energy?
Prabowo Subianto’s statement that he will accelerate the retirement of coal-fired power plants in Indonesia must be addressed critically, especially when looking at his track record with close ties with the coal industry. It is not impossible that the closure of all coal-fired power plants that he revealed at the G20 Summit was just to introduce a false solution to the energy transition.
There are several key questions to criticise Prabowo Subianto’s statement that will accelerate the target of closing coal-fired power plants in Indonesia. First, will the Indonesian government automatically stop coal mining operations and the use of its derivative products along with the closure of coal-fired power plants?
To answer this, we have to go back and read Prabowo Subianto’s speech during his inauguration as the 8th President of Indonesia, where it seems that coal mining operations and the use of dirty energy products will continue. In his inauguration speech, Prabowo Subianto directed an energy policy focusing on self-sufficiency in the next five years. Unfortunately, Prabowo Subianto’s energy self-sufficiency still relies on coal.
Not only that, President Prabowo Subianto also did not cancel the granting of coal mining concessions to religious organisations. As is known, at the end of his term, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), through the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, distributed coal mining concessions to religious organisations such as NU and Muhammadiyah. The non-cancellation of coal mining concessions by President Prabowo Subianto signals that coal will still be the mainstay of his administration to spur economic growth. Although economic growth supported by coal is pseudo-economic growth because the environmental and health impacts for the community are never considered.
Signals that Prabowo Subianto’s government will continue to rely on coal can also be seen in his statements on various occasions. Prabowo Subianto once said that many new coal reserves are currently found in Indonesia. In fact, according to him, former Dutch fields can also be utilised again with the latest technology. He says coal can be converted into DME (dimethyl ether). However, if the closure of coal-fired power plants is not followed by stopping the mining and use of coal, then it is just a false solution of misleading energy transition.
If referring to his speech, the direction of energy policy in the Prabowo Subianto administration will not only continue the use of coal in other forms but also extend the use of other fossil fuels (oil and gas). To tackle GHG emissions from the oil and gas sector, Prabowo Subianto will continue President Jokowi’s program on carbon ‘toilets’ in Indonesia. The carbon toilet program in Indonesia is called CCS (carbon capture and storage).
CCS is part of the false solution of the energy transition. CCS technologies also generate emissions, which are often not accounted for. GHG emissions in CCS technologies arise during the capture and transportation process. The leakage of GHG emissions during the CCS process may be equal to or greater than the GHG emissions that can be stored. As a result, using CCS technology will hinder the development of renewable energy.
Second, what kind of renewable energy plants will replace coal-fired power plants? To answer this question, we must again examine Prabowo Subianto’s speech regarding the idea of energy self-sufficiency. Apart from relying on coal, Prabowo’s energy self-sufficiency will also rely on large-scale renewable energy, such as geothermal and biofuels.
Geothermal development to support electricity in Indonesia is the energy policy choice in the next five years. The government’s efforts to offer geothermal projects in various international forums further emphasise this choice. At COP 29, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources offered around 12 geothermal projects.
In fact, these geothermal projects almost always face resistance from the surrounding community. In Waesano, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), the local community strongly rejected the geothermal project. The World Bank, which was funding the project in Waesano, eventually withdrew due to the strong opposition from the local community.
Still, in NTT, the geothermal project in Pocoleok, funded by the German Development Bank (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau/KfW), also met resistance from the surrounding community. Some of the people who fought back were intimidated, criminalised and abused by government officials. Even local journalists have experienced violence.
Suppose the choice is large-scale renewable energy, such as geothermal, to replace closed coal-fired power plants. In that case, it means that efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through energy transition weaken local communities’ capacity to adapt to the climate crisis. In fact, in the context of climate justice, GHG emission mitigation policies should not weaken the capacity of communities to adapt to the climate crisis.
By comparing Prabowo Subianto’s speech at the G20 Summit and in Indonesia during his inauguration as the 8th President of Indonesia, we will find that his plan to accelerate the closure of coal-fired power plants is part of the way to introduce a false solution to energy transition. As is typical of a false solution, the aim is not to provide a solution to a problem but to trick the public into thinking that the problem has been solved.
The fake energy transition solution is also part of Indonesia’s climate diplomacy at the global level. With this solution, the international audience is led to support the Indonesian government’s choice of a fake energy transition solution. So, why was Prabowo Subianto deliberately raising the fake energy transition solution at the G20 Summit?
The use of fake energy transition solutions in climate diplomacy is not only done by the Indonesian government. The rich countries that are members of the G20 also often use this false solution of energy transition in their climate diplomacy. All countries, including Indonesia, that use this false energy transition solution know it will not solve the climate crisis. They are using the diplomacy of the fake energy transition solution for their economic interests. The basic principle is that efforts to address the climate crisis should not interfere with the country’s economic growth.
This paradigm of continuing to pursue economic growth is the paradigm that once caused the climate crisis. Ironically, efforts to address the climate crisis use the same paradigm. The fake energy transition solution attempts to repackage the outdated paradigm. Unfortunately, Indonesia, as a country that is vulnerable to the climate crisis, is now following the misguided path of developed countries by using the false solution of the energy transition.
The false solution of energy transition in climate diplomacy must be stopped. As a country highly vulnerable to the climate crisis, Indonesia should be part of stopping the false solution instead of using it.
*The author is an energy policy and climate change observer
Banner photo: Indonesia Digital Campaigner 350.org
