Jakarta, Aug 18 (Antara) - With its oil reserves expected to run out in
ten years, Indonesia is making efforts to develop alternative energy,
particularly biofuels, to replace its fossil fuel energy.
Based on data released by the National Energy Council (DEN) at a
workshop in July last year, Indonesia's reserves for oil, gas, and coal
will run out in 10 years, 30 years, and 80 years, respectively.
From now on, Indonesia should develop sources of renewable energy to
prepare for its future requirements and to reduce and gradually
eliminate its energy subsidies, which have continued to burden state
budget.
Finance Minister Chatib Basri said in an effort to alleviate the
subsidy burden of the state budget, the government will increase its
efficiency on subsidy budget, reduce energy subsidy in stages, continue
its previous fuel-to-gas conversion program, resume its fuel consumption
control, and push ahead the development of its new and renewable energy
program.
In his address before a plenary session of the House of Representatives
(DPR), President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono delivered the budget plan for
2015 where fuel subsidies were raised from Rp246.5 trillion in the
revised 2014 state budget to Rp291.1 trillion in the Draft 2015 State
Budget.
Therefore, the government will increase its efforts to develop new and
renewable energies to replace its depleting fossil-based fuel energy.
According to Director General of New and Renewable Energy Affairs of
the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Rida Mulyana, one of the
efforts of the government to develop renewable energy is to operate a
geothermal power plant (PLTP) in September or October, 2014, in West
Java.
"The PLTP project is one of the targets of President Yuhoyono's
government in 100 days before the end of its tenure on October 20,
2014," the director general said.
In
addition, the government has also been encouraging the development of
timber estates (HTI) aimed at producing bioenergy. For this, the
Ministry of Forestry is targeting to develop 400 thousand hectares of
HTI to produce bioenergy and help solve national energy crisis.
"We have targeted that in the next five years, at least 50 HTI
companies will develop about 400 thousand hectares of timber estates to
produce bioenergy," Director General for Forest Business Development of
the Ministry of Forestry Bambang Hendroyono said on Friday.
The step has been taken as a follow up to a memorandum of understanding
on plantation forest bioenergy development signed between the director
general of Forest Business Development of the Ministry of Forestry and
the director general of New and Renewable Energy Affairs of the Ministry
of Energy and Mineral Resources last month.
The Ministry of Forestry has prepared 254 forest business licenses for
the cultivation of HTI areas, with a total acreage of 10.3 million
hectares. HTI companies interested in energy development programs can
alter their work structures.
Based on studies carried out by the Research and Development Center of
the Ministry of Forestry, at least four types of trees are available
that could be developed in the HTI areas for the production of
bioenergy. The four species are locally called Nyamplung, Bintaro,
Kamelina, and Kaliandra.
The species are known to be fast growing plants, producing high energy calories.
"The fruits of Nyamplung and Bintaro could be processed to produce
biofuels, while those of Kamelina and Kaliandra can be utilized to
produce biomass energy," he explained.
Director
General Hendroyono said the plantation forest development is aimed not
only at producing raw materials for timber industry, but also at
supporting the country's food and energy resilience.
According
to Director General of New and Renewable Energy Rida Mulyana, the
development of energy-reserve plantation forests is expected to
guarantee the continuation of energy supply as part of the government's
program to popularize renewable energy use.
Currently, the government is carrying out energy mix program of 10
percent biofuel with fossil fuel (B10). The percentage of biofuel in the
energy mix program will be increased to 20 percent (B20), which is
expected to reach 8 million kiloliters in 2016. "The development of
energy forest is a solution to energy crisis at present and in the
future," noted Mulyana.
Currently, many regions in Indonesia are facing energy crisis. If the
government continues to depend on fossil fuels, the crisis can escalate
to the entire country, said Mulyana.
Therefore,
according to MP Tumanggor, the general chairman of Biodiesel Producers
Association (Aprobi), the government needs a breakthrough in reducing
the burden of the state budget by developing alternative energy, which
is by mixing fossil fuel with fatty acid methyl ester or biodiesel from
the current 10 percent (B10) to 20 percent (B20) in 2016.
He
said the next government under the new president and vice president,
Joko Widodo and Jusuf Kalla, respectively, should accelerate its energy
mix program from B10 to B20.
Therefore, the DEN last year had issued a series of recommendations to
reorient the national energy policy to renewable energy by 2050, urging
the government to stop exporting gas and coal to preserve depleting
fossil energy reserves, according to the Jakarta Post in its July 13,
2013, edition.
The country's energy mix in 2050, according to the DEN's National
Energy Policy Design, should comprise 30 percent renewable energy, 26
percent coal, 24 percent gas, and 20 percent oil. To meet the target, in
2025, renewable energy use should account for at least 23 percent of
total energy consumption. Also, in the same year, oil should account for
25 percent, coal 30 percent, and gas 22 percent.
The government should, however, first accelerate its B20 program. "If
the acceleration of B20 is successful, it will be able to economize US$6
billion of the state money annually. Currently, the B10 program has
succeeded in saving US$3 billion per annum," Tumanggor pointed out.
He expressed conviction that the acceleration of Indonesia's energy mix
program from B10 to B20 will be achieved because 23 members of Aprobi
were crude palm oil firms, which were ready to develop and produce
biodiesel fuel.***2***
(T.A014/INE/B003)
EDITED BY INE
(T.A014/A/BESSR/Bustanuddin) 18-08-2014 22:16 |
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