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PLN Gradually Recovers Electricity Supply (0)
State-owned electricity firm PT PLN has recovered electric power to Balaraja Extra High Voltage substation in Banten Province, and furthermore it will be channeled to Suralaya steam-fueled power plant (PLTU) to gradually recover its operation to reach its capacity of 2800 MW of electricity.
In addition, power supply from Gandul Extra High Voltage substations in Depok, West Java Province, will be channeled to Muara Karang gas and steam power plant (PLTGU) to supply electricity to the Indonesian capital city, Jakarta.
Acting President Director of PLN Sripeni Inten Cahyani said here on Sunday that the power supply to Jakarta was expected to recover within three hours.
"We apologize for the inconvenience today, and currently all efforts have been made to recover the Java-Bali power system, especially in the area of West Java, Banten, and Jakarta," Cahyani said.
The company has focused on power supply to PLTGU Muara Karang and PLTGU Priok to recover the system in the capital city.
Previously, PLN has recovered the operation of hydro-generated power plant (PLTA) Saguling and PLTA Cirata which are functioned as power stabilizer, and, at the same time, supply the electricity to PLTU Suralaya through Cibinong, Depok, Gandul, Lengkok, Balaraja and Suralaya extra high voltage substations.
PLTU Suralaya is expected to return to its normal operation within six hours to normalize power system in West Java and Banten.
Blackout that affected thousands of homes and public facilities in West Java, Jakarta, and Banten was caused by several troubles in the extra high voltage 500 kV transmission of Ungaran - Pemalang.
"PLN has taken its best efforts and will have evaluation to prevent recurrence of today's incident," Cahyani said.
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June
Indonesia committed to cutting 1.02 billion tons of carbon by 2030
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Indonesian government is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 41 percent or equivalent to more than 1.02 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) by 2030 with international support, Deputy Minister of Environment and Forestry Alue Dohong stated.
"In the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) document, Indonesia is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 29 percent with business as usual (BAU), and by up to 41 percent with international assistance by 2030," he said as quoted in the press release of the Environment and Forestry Ministry received here on Sunday.
"29 percent is equivalent to 826 million tons of CO2 and 41 percent is equivalent to more than 1.02 billion tons of CO2 by 2030," he added.
The deputy minister said that the Indonesian government and other members of the international community had adopted Paris Climate Agreement and had prepared an NDC that covers a projected potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
World Environment Day 2021, he said, was an opportunity to re-evaluate achievements and continue efforts to address environmental challenges, including efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In commemoration of World Environment Day which falls on June 5, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry together with Scholar Synergy held the "Indonesia Climate Change Virtual Expo & Forum 2021" which started on Saturday (6/5).
The virtual event which will last for six months includes various programs designed to strengthen efforts to control the impact of climate change, including innovations to achieve national commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. (Antaranews)
June
Indonesia receives another 313,100 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Indonesian government has received an addition of 313,100 doses of COVID-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca, spokesperson for COVID-19 Vaccination, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, said
The vaccine arrived at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang City, Banten Province, on Saturday at 18.00 p.m. local time, she said when contacted on Sunday,
With the addition of 313,100 doses, Indonesia has received a total of 92.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, both in ready-to use and bulk forms.
"The arrival of AstraZeneca vaccine from the Covax Facility is the result of the hard work of the Indonesian Government, which since October 2020 has been seeking multilateral cooperation for COVID-19 Covax, a global initiative aimed at gaining equal access to the COVID-19 vaccine," she said.
"Through the GAVI Covax Advance Market Commitment mechanism, Indonesia gets a COVID-19 vaccine quota at three to 20 percent of its population," she added.
She said the availability of the vaccine was crucial in the effort to accelerate the national vaccination program.
Overall, Indonesia has received a total of three million doses of finished vaccine from Sinovac, 6.7 million doses of finished vaccine from AstraZeneca, one million doses of finished vaccine from Sinopharm, and 81.5 million doses of semi-finished vaccine from Sinovac.
Tarmizi emphasized that the government continues to improve vaccination services to reach an average of one million people per day starting in June 2021, in order to build herd immunity soon.
To that end, the government has implemented a national vaccination program for health workers, public service workers, and the elderly as well as people aged 50 years and above.
As of June 4, 2021, 17.3 million people have received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 11.1 million of them have been injected with the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
In the meantime, the independent vaccination program has also been conducted and as of May 30, 2021, it has reached 49 thousand workers from 36 business entities or legal entities. (Antaranews)
June
Former foreign minister Mochtar Kusumaatmadja passes away
Written by nuke
Former foreign minister Mochtar Kusumaatmadja (ANTARA/HO) -
Former Indonesian foreign minister Mochtar Kusumaatmadja passed away at the age of 92 on Sunday morning at 9 a.m.
"It is true. We are making preparations for his funeral," his younger brother, Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, said in a short text message on Sunday afternoon.
Sarwono said Mochtar was laid in state at his residence at Balitung Street 3 No. 2, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta.
Born on February 17, 1929, Mochtar was appointed foreign minister in March 1978, replacing Adam Malik. He served as the Indonesian foreign minister for two terms until 1988.
He was earlier justice minister from 1973 to 1978.
Mochtar who began his career as diplomat when he was 29 years old. was also known as a law professor of Padjadjaran University in Bandung, West Java//ANT
June
Indonesian, US marine soldiers hold drill on urban warfare
Written by nuke
Indonesian and US marine soldiers exchanged knowledge on urban operations as well as technical and tactical skills during ‘Reconex 21-II’, a joint drill held in Situbondo district, East Java on Saturday. (HO-Dispen Kormar, Serma Mar Kuwadi) -
Indonesian and US marine soldiers took part in a joint training exercise on conducting military operations on urban terrain in Situbondo district, East Java on Saturday.
The military drill, named ‘Reconex 21-II’, was centered at the Baluran Marine Corps Combat Training Centre, the training task force commandant, Lt.Col.Supriyono, informed.
During the joint exercise, the marine soldiers of the two countries exchanged knowledge on urban operations as well as technical and tactical skills, he said.
“Through the exercise, the skills of soldiers from amphibious reconnaissance units were strengthened in implementing small tactical units and urban combat," he added.
The marine troops received training in urban operation tactics, visual signals used in patrols, and handling technical assaults in cities and residential areas.
During the joint drill, Indonesian and US marine soldiers shared their own tactics and techniques for resolving problems arising from conflicts in residential areas, Supriyono said.
The training was aimed at improving the professionalism of the two countries' marine soldiers, who are skilled in ground, sea, and air battles, he added//ANT
June
Govt cancels haj 2021 for pilgrims’ health and safety This article was published in thejakartapost.com with the title "Govt cancels haj 2021 for pilgrims’ health and safety"
Written by nuke
Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas -
Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas said the government had decided to cancel the 2021 haj program due to soaring COVID-19 infections.
“This is a bitter pill that we have to swallow. The sole reason behind the cancellation is that we have placed the safety of our pilgrims as the top priority. I hope the pandemic will end soon,” Yaqut told a press briefing on Friday.
Indonesia is continuing to see a soaring number of daily infections, averaging over 5,000 cases nationwide, with only a slight decrease to 4,824 cases on June 1.
Meanwhile, the top 10 contributing countries to the annual pilgrimage are also seeing a resurgence in COVID-19 transmission. India, for example, recorded 132,788 cases on June 1, while Iraq recorded 4,170 daily cases and Iran 10,687 cases on the same date.
Neighboring Malaysia recorded 7,105 cases on Tuesday and is now in lockdown. This is the second time that Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, is not sending its nationals on the haj due to the pandemic. Yaqut said the government’s decision was in line with Law No. 8/2019 on haj and umrah, which stipulates public health, safety and security as primary considerations for the government before it issues any decisions related to religious pilgrimages.
He said the decision was taken following a series of consultations with relevant stakeholders, including House of Representatives Commission VIII overseeing religious affairs, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and the foreign, health and transportation ministries. “We will communicate this message to the public so they can also understand,” Yaqut said.
“The Saudi government has yet to invite all relevant governments to talk about the haj. So to date, no country has been informed about their haj quota,” he added.
The minister also said that potential pilgrims who had completed their haj payments would be automatically included on next year’s haj program, while the government would reimburse any pilgrims who wanted to cancel.
“The pilgrims’ money is safe. Please beware of any fake news or hoaxes that say otherwise,” Yaqut said.
Separately, lawmaker Hasan Basri Agus from the Golkar Party faction has thrown his support behind the decision to cancel this year’s haj program.
He said Riyadh had sent a clear signal by not announcing the haj quota. Earlier, House Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad suggested this was likely because the vaccines Indonesia used were not on the Emergency Use Listing (EUL) issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), and that this had made the Saudi government reconsider.
“If this is true, we should learn from this lesson. We are not going to discuss this [further] until we know for sure,” the Gerindra Party lawmaker said as quoted by detik.com.
Indonesia’s mass vaccination program primarily uses the Sinovac vaccine, which was only added to the WHO’s EUL on Tuesday//JP
June
Govt committed to building food resilience: minister
Written by Nur Yasmin
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartart, has said the government is committed to strengthening food resilience and promoting farmers' and fishermen's welfare and has prepared a number of stimuli to achieve this end.
"The government has prepared economic stimuli to support the agricultural and fishery sectors," he said while meeting cattle raisers during an ‘Eat chicken and eggs’ campaign at the IPB International Convention Center in Bogor, West Java on Thursday.
The stimuli and incentives are aimed at maintaining the performance of the agricultural and fishery sectors and cover labor-intensive programs in the agricultural and fishery sectors, the President's productive assistance for micro, small, and medium businesses engaged in the agricultural sector, interest subsidies on micro business credit, and financing for cooperatives under a fund rotating scheme, he disclosed.
He also highlighted strategic programs in the food and agricultural sectors that the government has implemented in 2021, ranging from stabilizing food prices and supplies, developing export-oriented horticulture, horticulture closed loop partnership, rejuvenating smallholder palm oil plantations, to developing the seaweed industry.
The government also has formulated policies to maintain national food chain resilience, Hartarto said.
The first policy is implementing the job creation law pertaining to streamlining, accelerating licensing procedures, and endorsing exports and imports, he noted.
The second policy is digitizing micro, small, and medium enterprises, he said.
The third policy is synergizing state-owned companies in the distribution of farm products — from production centers to consumers — through the development of a train transportation-based food logistics system, he added.
The fourth policy is strengthening inter-regional cooperation, particularly in fulfilling food needs, and the fifth policy is forming a state-owned holding company to strengthen the national food ecosystem, he continued.
"The programs in the agricultural and fishery sectors still continue to strengthen food resilience and improve farmers' and fishermen's welfare," the minister remarked.
The government will also drive the downstream poultry industry to help increase consumption, which will push the demand for chicken meat and eggs, Hartarto informed.
"Looking ahead, chicken and eggs can hopefully settle the issue of nutrition needs to push immunity and prevent COVID-19,” he said. (antaranews)
June
Energy management will require multi-sectoral involvement: Indrawati
Written by Nur Yasmin
Several ministries and institutions, including regional governments, will need to work together to develop Indonesia’s energy management strategy.
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati made the remarks while speaking to the National Energy Board stakeholders via video conferencing, according to a statement received here on Thursday. Indrawati represents the government at the board.
She said she believed that the energy issue is a multi-dimensional one, involving a number of factors, including ensuring energy access for the people of Indonesia and also access to good services both in terms of education as well as health, for the advancement of the nation.
Indrawati conveyed her support for the board and invited it to collaborate through good communication to level perception through data information exchange.
She said she hoped that the board would come up with a detailed strategy for achieving a 23-percent renewable energy mix by 2025 and answer to the energy target, that has been set together, by considering the real conditions of energy, the current energy supply and demand, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, a board member representing stakeholders, Satya Widya Yudha, said the board will need support from the Finance Ministry in developing a roadmap for energy management going forward, as that is the direction that the Indonesian government is moving in, and as a form of commitment on the global level.
"The roadmap is multi-sectoral and needs the support of the Finance Ministry," he remarked. (Antaranews)
June
Former minister encourages expediting adoption of digital technology
Written by Nur Yasmin
Former Research and Technology Minister Bambang P. S. Brodjonegoro encouraged the government and people to accelerate the adoption of digital technology, particularly amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The pandemic that we are going through at the moment is essentially a trigger to accelerate digital transformation," Brodjonegoro stated during a discussion event themed “Winning the Competition in Digital Economic Era,” accessed from Jakarta, Thursday.
The former minister, currently serving in office as president commissioner for PT Telkom Indonesia, remarked that digital technology can be applied swiftly to the structure and economy in Indonesia.
He believed that by conducting digital transformation, Indonesia's digital economy will be able to shift from being natural resource-based to being innovation-based, thereby allowing it to seize opportunities emerging in the market following the pandemic.
Brodjonegoro cited as an example the development that took place in South Korea that was listed as the poorest country in Asia in the 1950s, and through a speedy adoption of digitalization and innovation, it is currently a developed country.
"This is since independent efforts had been initiated with human resources and ended with innovation and product development," he stated.
Meanwhile, Managing Director & Chief Operation Officer of PT Bank DBS Indonesia, Bino Notowidigdo, affirmed that the pandemic had left the people and the industry with no choice but to promptly adopt digital technology as was apparent from a spike in the number of electronic financial transactions, rising by 41 percent, from Rp145 trillion in 2019 to Rp205 trillion in 2020.
"The physical distancing policy has restricted consumers from going to the bank and conducting transactions. This provides an opportunity to adopt digital banking," he affirmed.
Furthermore, President Director of PT Akulaku Finance Indonesia, Efrinal Sinaga, remarked that people, including in the financing industry, had increasingly shifted to digitalization.
He explained that out of the 270 million Indonesians, only some 23.2 percent were listed in the “banked” category, while 26 percent fell in the “underbanked” category, and 50.8 percent others in the “unbanked” category.
Out of the 23.2 percent in the “banked” category, only five percent had access to bank loans, which is a considerably low figure. He noted that opportunities were being provided to financing companies to implement digitalization. (Antaranews)
June
Indonesia, S Korea Explore Cooperation In Education
Written by Nur Yasmin
Indonesia and South Korea are looking into the possibility of cooperation in the educational field, which will involve investments to the tune of US$11 million.
"According to the plan, it (the cooperation) will be realized along with IPB University this year. It will last for seven years," educational and cultural attaché at the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul, Gogot Suharwoto, said on Wednesday.
The cooperation will be the first project undertaken by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) for an institute of higher learning in Indonesia, he said. The project will include drafting standard operating procedures for the maintenance of instruments at the Green Bio National Instrumentation Center (GBNIC), including security and safety systems, at IPB University.
The cooperation will also cover the procurement of sophisticated instruments, facilities, and infrastructure for performing high-level Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GCMS), ICP-MS/MS, Spectrometer, SEM, and TEM analyses.
The cooperation will also involve the capacity-building of teachers and technicians through medium-term training programs for lecturers, researchers, and technicians.
As part of the cooperation, KOICA will help IPB lecturers obtain scholarships to study at the Seoul National University.
They will also send experts to IPB University to meet with the project director and the project manager, Suharwoto said. (Antaranews)
June
Indonesia Looks To EU To Resolve Palestine Question
Written by Nur Yasmin
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said she has pinned her hopes on the European Union (EU) to support efforts towards and help realize Palestinian independence.
The minister expressed hope during a meeting with EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, in Jakarta on Wednesday.
The meeting came nearly two weeks after Hamas and Israel agreed to a ceasefire to put a halt to days of violence in the Gaza Strip that claimed hundreds of lives, most of them Palestinian.
"Regarding Palestine, we exchanged views (with him). Indonesia warmly welcomes the ceasefire and hopes all sides will be committed to keeping conducive situation," she said while making a press statement following a meeting with the senior EU official.
The minister highlighted the importance of preventing a recurrence of violence by solving the main issue, that is, putting an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine “… through credible negotiations to realize Palestinian independence, based on a two-state solution and internationally-endorsed parameters”.
Echoing her views, Borrel expressed the hope that the two-state solution would not become mere rhetoric, but be translated into concrete action.
"If we really believe that this is the solution, then we must be more active to drive this solution into reality instead of the sentence which actually makes no improvement for the Palestinian people," he said.
The ceasefire has offered a good momentum for the parties to work with each other and get involved in a new effort for the peace process and negotiations in the Middle East, he added. (Antaranews)