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eficient energy is a problem Indonesia faces now. For example, Riau province is facing an electricity supply crisis due to power energy shortage. As a Pekanbaru (the capital city of Riau) citizen, I often experience rolling blackouts by state power firm PLN. Ironically, it happens in the rich province that owns underground fossil fuel and upper-ground palm oil.

I attended the “Riau International Energy Expo 2011 Exhibition & Conference”, hosted by the provincial government from April 12 to 14. Renewable energy and environment are the main issues at the conference. Indonesia has various resources for green energy: Geothermal, water, wind and bio energy.

Geothermal was the hot topic at the conference. Indonesia possesses significant geothermal energy resources. Indonesia is located in the “Ring of Fire”, the world’s most active volcanic zone, which stretches along the southeastern coast of the islands of Sumatra and Java. Hence, Indonesia is home to the largest resources of geothermal energy, especially South Sumatra. The question is: Why has geothermal energy not been seriously exploited?

Hilmi Panigoro of Medco Energi said the government did not have a clear regulatory framework for investors. Meanwhile, Dahlan Iskan, PLN president director, said that complicated bureaucracy caused the business community’s reluctance to invest to exploit this energy.

Conference speakers raised another interesting topic: Energy from mangrove palms, which are growing well near the coastal lines across the country. Like sugar cane, the plant is a potential raw material for ethanol biofuel. This mangrove palm energy could be an alternative ethanol resource that traditionally comes from corn in the US and sugarcane in Brazil. It is important to find alternative resources because such plants and also cassava are still important sources of food in our country.

Ikhwanul Arif
Pekanbaru