VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Arifin Tasrif spotlighted the sustainability of the global energy transition at the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) meeting in Abu Dhabi, the UAE, on January 14.

"This is a real step towards Net Zero Emissions in 2060 or sooner and Indonesia's support for the United Nations Climate Conference COP28 to ensure that the program is running as planned," he said as quoted from the official website esdm.go.id monitored on Monday.

As the Vice President of the Assembly at the meeting, Tasrif highlighted Indonesia's commitment to accelerate energy transition until 2023.

That includes programs to accelerate the development of New and Renewable Energy (EBT), early termination of the operation of the Steam Power Plant (PLTU), cofiring biomass at the PLTU, the mandatory 30-percent biodiesel regulation, and the development of a supergrid electricity network.

Furthermore, the Indonesian government is preparing various legal umbrellas to provide conducive business certainty in the EBT sector as an effort to increase the utilization of EBT industry development and the national economy.

During the meeting, the minister also drew attention to the role of Southeast Asia in accelerating energy transition. One of the aggressive steps taken is the development of low-carbon technology innovations and large funding.

"According to the IRENA report, in 2050, ASEAN will need financing amounting to US$29.4 trillion including for fuel, operation, and maintenance costs as well as the financing cost scenario with 100-percent renewable energy," Tasrif remarked.

Meanwhile, Director General of IRENA Francesco La Camera said that the role of international cooperation contributed to the success of energy transition.

Those efforts must be accelerated while ensuring that the benefits are spread evenly across countries and communities, he said. 

"International cooperation will play an important role in ensuring that all countries have the opportunity to accelerate fair distribution of technology and secure the investments needed to achieve their goals. IRENA's membership offers a unique platform to drive the global energy agenda at COP28 and beyond," he said.

The IRENA meeting was chaired by La Camera along with India's Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy as President of the 13th Assembly with the theme of "World Energy Transitions-The Global Stocktake".

At the meeting, Indonesia served as Vice President of the Assembly along with Zimbabwe, Belgium, and Uruguay. (Antaranews)