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Is new electricity 10-year procurement plan really green?
Coal still has a 59.4 percent share of the energy mix in 2030, more than double the portion of new and renewable energy.
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Smokestacks belch noxious fumes into the air from the Suralaya coal power plant in Cilegon, Banten, on Sept. 22, 2021, a stark illustration of Indonesia's addiction to coal, which is threatening climate targets. (AFP/Ronald Siagian)
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fter a two-year postponement, state-owned electricity company PLN has released its electricity procurement plan (RUPTL), which contains the national electricity plan for the period of 2021 to 2030.
Uniquely, this RUPTL has an end-year target of 2030, which coincides with the end-year target of the country’s nationally determined contribution (NDC). The NDC states that the energy sector – including the power sector – will be the most significant carbon-emissions contributor in 2030.
With the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) starting in the coming few weeks, there is a need for the Indonesian government to show its commitment and ambition to achieve the NDC target, including through a green electricity plan.
Now, there is also the wind of change across the world: countries, financiers and banks have made official statements to phase out coal and shift to renewable energy, the most significant one being from Chinese President Xi Jinping recently.
Indonesia cannot isolate itself from the global trend. Therefore, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo's attendance at COP26 will also be an opportunity for Indonesia to announce this ambitious commitment. It is not surprising that the government is now trying to make some changes to address this issue, including launching RUPTL, which is acclaimed as a green plan.
The question is whether the claim is credible or merely “greenwashing”.
First, the government’s statement about the fewer additional coal-fired power plants in this newly released RUPTL does not mean Indonesia is on track to end its coal dependency. The document still shows a vast additional coal capacity amounting to 13.8 gigawatts, 34 percent of the total additional capacity of 40.5 GW. Also, coal still has a 59.4 percent share of the energy mix in 2030 or more than double the portion of new and renewable energy.
