Renewable Energy Draft Bill; Civil Coalition Raises Concern Over Coal

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Civil society group joined under People's Coalition for Renewable Energy highlighted a number of issues found in the Renewable Energy Draft Bill (RUU EBT) that is currently discussed by the House of Representatives (DPR) legislation board (Baleg).

The coalition's representative, Gita Anindarini, said on Wednesday, October 7, 2021, that one of the most prominent problems is the draft bill's inclusion of coal. She argued that the energy sector continues to be the largest contributor to Indonesia's emissions. 

"If the energy sector goes on with its business as usual then it will become the largest emissions contributor in Indonesia, which prompts the importance of a regulation that covers fair energy transition in Indonesia," said Anindarini, Deputy Director of Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL) in a written statement on Wednesday, October 6, 2021. 

The coalition argues that the gasification of coal can potentially produce double the emission compared to natural gas generators as it would need 1.75 tons of coal to produce 1 ton of coal gasification and produce up to four times of carbon dioxide when compared to an oil refinery.

The coalition, she insists, believed that coal gasification could likely make the country lose up to USD 377 million annually. 

Another pressing problem contained in the Renewable Energy Draft Law is the use of nuclear power that requires the government to construct a sustainable waste storage system, which can likely burden the state budget even further. 

"The cost of managing waste for 40 years can reach USD 7.5 billion and can cost even more," she wrote. "The construction of a highly radioactive waste storage in Finland, for example, costs USD 3.4 billion."

The civil society coalition comprises ICEL, IESR, Yayasan Indonesia Cerah, Coaction Indonesia, Trend Asia, Greenpeace, Indonesia Parliamentary Centre, dan 350.Id. An online petition at Change.org has also been published by the group urging the House of Representatives (DPR) to cancel the Renewable Energy Draft Bill and focus purely on renewable energy. 

"One more thing, we call for the abolishment of new energy and rather focus on renewable energy," said Anindarini.

DPR Commission VII member Anwar Idris said the Civil Coalition's recommendation will be discussed in meetings on the new draft bill. 

CAESAR AKBAR