Govt to speed up licensing process for geothermal projects in forest

Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan pledged on Thursday to ease licensing processes for using forest for geothermal projects to support Indonesia’s clean energy development agenda.

The process could be completed within several days where it once took months.

“We are now preparing regulations so the geothermal deposits in forests can be exploited,” Zulkilfli said Thursday.

It estimated that 70 percent of Indonesia’s geothermal sites are situated in protected and conservation areas.

Data from the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry shows 265 geothermal sites across Indonesia with a potential energy yield of 28,100 megawatts.

The Finance Ministry has also issued a decree to provide a tax discount to investors in geothermal projects.