Indonesia has been trying to boost the use of electric vehicles (EVs), with an eye to easing its dependency on fossil fuels. However, while the grid is powered by coal, this won\u2019t work.<\/p>\t\t
Since 2019, the government has issued several policies to support the EV sector<\/a>, targeting public transport and more recently motorbikes and cars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At a \u201cfun day<\/a>\u201d designed to promote EVs in Jakarta last November, Budi Karya Sumadi, transport minister, explained that the government\u2019s strategy is to electrify public transport and government vehicles, and increase the number of charging stations and battery exchange facilities. On 21 March this year, the government announced a range of incentives<\/a> to encourage EV take up, including subsidies and tax breaks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to transport ministry data<\/a>, the EVs registered in the country in 2022 comprised 22,942 motorbikes, 4,904 four-wheeled passenger vehicles, 280 three-wheelers, 56 buses and six cargo vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The energy ministry is targeting at least two million<\/a> electric cars and 13 million electric motorbikes by 2030.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Budi Prawara, head of the Electronics and Informatics Research Organisation at the National Research and Innovation Agency, said there is a growing awareness among consumers of the efficiency of EVs and the need to reduce pollution from vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The global trend is EV growth. In 2021, the number of EVs on the roads had tripled compared to 2018, according to the Global EV Outlook 2022<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In November 2022, Indonesia agreed a US$20 billion package of financial support from developed countries, led by the US and Japan, at the G20 Summit in Bali. The Just Energy Transition Partnership, as it is known, is expected to help Indonesia expedite its transition<\/a> away from coal power and towards low-carbon alternatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The details are still being worked out, but the partnership<\/a> aims to peak total power sector emissions by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions in the sector by 2050, bringing forward the country\u2019s net-zero power sector emissions target by 10 years. The government plans to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy, aiming for at least 34% of all power generation to come from renewables by 2030.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, critics see loopholes in the agreement that mean the country will continue to develop coal power, undermining potential benefits such as emissions reductions and cleaner air, that could result from a switch to EVs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Under the partnership, Indonesia has agreed to halt the pipeline of planned on-grid coal plants included<\/a> in its Electricity Supply Business Plan 2021\u20132030. Yet, as Dr Achmed Shahram Edianto, Asia electricity analyst at Ember point outs<\/a>, there is no requirement to freeze coal plants already under construction or \u201ccaptive\u201d off-grid plants that serve industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are \u201ctoo many exceptions,\u201d says Rere Christanto, mining and energy campaign manager at NGO the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI). He points to the \u201cexclusion of all power plants that support national strategic projects. In addition, there is no explanation about the power plants\u2019 early retirement scheme.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As of January this year, the capacity of coal-fired power plants operating in Indonesia was 40.6 gigawatts (GW), an increase of 54% from 2015. According to the Electricity Supply Business Plan, this will increase further by 2030 with the construction of 13.8 GW of coal power plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The plan projects a significant portion of power capacity to be \u201cnew\u201d and renewable energy, amounting to 20.9 GW or the equivalent of 51.6% of installed capacity. But the projected new coal-fired power capacity pushes the plan away from the goal of reducing emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe plan is greener but not green\u201d said Tata Mustaya, head of the climate and energy campaign at Greenpeace Indonesia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA 42% portion for [coal] power plants\u2026 is going to weigh us down in the next 30-40 years,\u201d Mustaya added. \u201cWe should move faster to stop the climate crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read also:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nDirty grid<\/h3>\n\n\n\n