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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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March
NU affirms relentless support for Palestinians in resolving problems
Written by Nur Yasmin
Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) has affirmed its relentless support for Palestinians to address very complex problems with Israel.
“NU never stops to stand behind Palestinians and also to make efforts in finding solutions for them,” Chairperson of NU Central Executive Board Yahya Cholil Staquf stated during a virtual discussion with Supreme Palestinian Authority and Adviser for Religious Islamic Affairs to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Al Habbash here on Sunday.
Palestine has been facing very complicated and overlapping issues for decades, thereby requiring right strategies to help address them, Staquf said.
“We do understand the problems that Palestine is facing. Moreover, the problems are complex and overlapping with other issues,” he said.
Staquf spoke of his intent not only to express sympathy or distribute humanitarian aids, but also to directly play its role to the core of such problems.
“We should know which dimensions we should get into: politics or religion. As we are religion-based organization, we start from the domain of religion,” he remarked.
NU lets the Indonesian government take the political approach to help address the issues in Palestine, he added.
Staquf emphasized his stance for Palestinians is not only for Muslims but also for humanity.
“If mankind fails to stand with Palestinians, they fail to stand for their own kinsmen,” he said.
With regard to NU’s efforts to help address religious issues, the organization is trying to offer solutions by tracing the enmity based on the inherited histories of Islam, Christian, and Jews, he explained.
“Then we seek to relieve those pains by developing religious insights to co-exist,” he said.
Staquf expressed hope that NU and Palestine could strengthen one another, thereby finding solutions to make Palestinians obtain higher dignity and brighter future. (Antaranews)
March
Indonesia opens up cooperation on clean energy technology
Written by Nur Yasmin
Indonesia is opening up opportunities to cooperate with other G20 members for developing clean energy technology as part of efforts to achieve the target of carbon emissions reduction and increase the domestic energy mix without delay.
Only 6 out of 46 clean energy technologies have currently been proven to be competitive, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Arifin Tasrif said at a press conference held on the sidelines of the Energy Transitions Working Group ( ETWG) session on Thursday.
“Of course, this transitional change will require a great deal of funds. For this part, how G20 member states, which contribute 80 percent to the global economy, can lend support to that effect,” he said.
The G20 energy transition forum comprises a series of meetings, right from the first ETWG in Yogyakarta from March 23 to 25, 2022, the second ETWG meeting in Labuan Bajo, the third ETWG meeting in Bali, to the Energy Transition Ministerial Meeting (ETMM).
The peak meeting of Indonesia’s G20 Presidency will be the G20 Summit, which will be held in Bali in September 2022.
The minister said the Indonesian government has begun to reduce the use of fossil energy-based technology, which has high carbon, through the phaseout of diesel-fueled generators.
The program will target 5,200 diesel-fueled generators in 2,130 locations in Indonesia. The government will replace them with gas-fired, solar, hydro, and biomass power plants.
Currently, the government is developing seawater, tidal current, undercurrent, and marine heat energy technologies.
“We have looked into the possibility of cooperation with technology owners,” he said.
“We appeal to developed countries to improve the research and development, particularly how to develop the technological innovations into technology with competitive and proven industrial scale,” he added. (Antaranews)
March
TNI chief, Japanese envoy discuss defense cooperation
Written by Nur Yasmin
Chief of the National Defense Forces (TNI), General Andika Perkasa, and Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia, Kanasugi Kenji, have discussed plans for defense and security cooperation in the Asian region.
"I want cooperation between Indonesia and Japan in various fields to be increased,” he said, as seen on the YouTube channel of Jenderal TNI Andika Perkasa here on Thursday.
Perkasa said he hoped that bilateral relations between Indonesia and Japan, particularly in the military field, will become increasingly stronger.
The existing cooperation is projected to cover not only joint exercises but also work programs in the procurement of primary weapons systems, he added.
The former army chief of staff also expressed the hope that relations between the Japan Self Defense Force (JSDF) and the TNI will become closer.
Perkasa said earlier that he had held talks with the Japanese army chief of staff about conducting a joint exercise of the two countries’ armies.
The TNI has learned much from the Japanese military, particularly in disaster management, he said.
Japan has a lot of experience in handling disasters so it has set an example in disaster management, he added.
Meanwhile, Kenji called for optimum utilization of the two countries’ capacities in the defense and security field through cooperation in the procurement of primary weapons systems and joint exercises.
"We have been highly awaiting to take part in Garuda Shield Indonesia," he said.
The cooperation between the two countries is important, particularly for building the defense and security force in the Asian region, he added. (Antaranews)
March
IPU Assembly agrees on peaceful resolution to Russia-Ukraine conflict
Written by Nur Yasmin
The 144th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has agreed on a peaceful resolution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Thousands of delegates representing parliaments from 115 countries agreed on the peaceful resolution following a series of sessions and debates, which were led by Indonesian House Speaker Puan Maharani in her capacity as chief of the IPU Assembly this year.
“Indonesia has played a pivotal role in drafting the resolution. We joined the formulation committee. Indonesia has, from the beginning, underscored the significance of IPU’s central role in seeking a balanced solution to the Ukrainian issue,” she said at a press conference following the conclusion of the 144th IPU Assembly in BICC, here on Thursday.
During the Assembly, which was held from March 20 to 24, 2022, each member state was allowed to propose a draft resolution (emergency item).
The Ukrainian parliamentary delegation’s draft resolution on the Russia-Ukraine conflict urged IPU to denounce the military action by Russia and Belarus in Ukraine.
However, according to the Indonesian delegation, the view can risk deteriorating the conflict and hindering peace efforts, chief of the Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Board (BKSAP) at the House of Representatives (DPR,) Fadli Zon, said.
Zon is an Indonesian representative who joined the team formulating the final draft resolution on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Hence, during the general debate on March 21, 2022, Indonesia proposed a draft resolution, followed by New Zealand.
With Ukraine withdrawing its proposal, only draft proposals from Indonesia and New Zealand were presented. Although Indonesia’s draft proposal received less support, several points of Indonesia’s draft proposal were incorporated in New Zealand’s draft proposal.
The points stressed the collective role of parliaments to open up dialog between Russia and Ukraine and set up a task force to serve as a liaison for the two conflicting parties.
"Indonesia has convinced IPU to agree on the setting up of a task force to encourage the creation of peaceful solution to the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Of course, at the session, Indonesia discussed the importance of mainstreaming gender equality and women’s and youths’ participation in decision-making,” Maharani said.
The effort to mainstream gender equality was taken up by the Forum of Women Parliamentarians — an IPU body comprising women members of parliament. This year, the IPU Forum of Women Parliamentarians was led by Irine Yusiana Roba Putri of the Indonesian House of Representatives. (Antaranews)
March
Menparekraf Accompanies President Jokowi to Open the 2022 Inacraft Craft Exhibition
Written by nuke
Indonesian President, Joko Widodo accompanied by the Tourism and creative economy, Sandiaga Uno walking around the INACRAFT exhibition 2022 -
Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy/Head of Tourism and Creative Economy Agency Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno accompanied President Joko Widodo to open "The 22nd Jakarta International Handicraft Trade Fair (INACRAFT) 2022", which is the largest handicraft exhibition event in Southeast Asia.
The return of INACRAFT this year will be a space for creative economy players, particularly the craft sub-sector, to showcase and market the best creative and creative products so that they can encourage economic revival by creating more job opportunities.
Kemenparekraf itself presents the Kemenparekraf Pavilion which facilitates 16 selected brands to promote and sell products.
"This creative product exhibition is one of the strategic steps in moving the country's creative economy sector back. Local creative economy products have the same good quality as imported products. This is our joint effort to restore the economy, especially through creative economy SMEs ," said Menparekraf Sandiaga Uno, Wednesday (23/3/2022) at the JCC Senayan, Jakarta.
According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Thursday (24/03/22), INACRAFT 2022 will take place at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) from 23 to 27 March 2022. After two years of absence from offline exhibitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Inacraft in 2021! is online, while this year's INACRAFT is held in a hybrid manner with strict health protocols and discipline.
This international-scale national craft exhibition was attended by 722 participants consisting of 510 individual participants, 169 service-assisted participants and 43 BUMN-assisted participants, as well as 150 _merchant stores_ for each online activity. INACRAFT 2022 will also present the INACRAFT Virtual Exhibition, INACRAFT Marketplace, and INACRAFT x Tokopedia.
Based on Focus Economy Outlook 2020 data, the creative economy contributed IDR 1,100 trillion to Indonesia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) throughout 2020.
The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy will continue to strive to generate economic growth, especially the creative economy. Including supporting a good ecosystem for creative economy actors. He also encourages people to love and appreciate by buying local creative economy products.
"Creative economy is a future industry that plays a big role in building the national economy. They (creative economic actors) are job creators and opener for community economic recovery. So I really support it," said Sandiaga.
President Joko Widodo previously expressed his appreciation for the re-organization of INACRAFT in 2022. He advised the public to always love domestic products.
In an effort to encourage creative economy actors in economic revival and job creation, Kemenparekraf/Baparekraf facilitates 16 local brands to promote and market their best products in the Kemenparekraf Pavilion at INACRAFT 2022. The Kemenparekraf Pavilion is located in Booth H (Main Lobby JCC) and has an area of 72m.
The Marketing Director of the Creative Economy Kemenparekraf/Baparekraf, Yuana Rochma Astuti, revealed that the 16 brands were determined through curation results in stages by taking into account various aspects. Starting from the readiness of products to enter the market, human resources, potential transactions, etc.
The determination of the name was facilitated through two stages, namely administrative selection and curation. A total of 112 registrants were selected into 66 participants to take part in the curation process. The curation is carried out in a hybrid way, by two curators who are experts in craft and product design, namely Diana Nazir (Principal Designer Artura Insanindo) and Fauzy Kamal (Founder of Kandura Studio).
INACRAFT 2022 targets 50,000 visitors (offline) and 10,000 visitors (online) with a transaction target of IDR 50 billion for the main exhibition and IDR 150 million for virtual exhibitions and INACRAFT marketplace. Meanwhile, the INACRAFT x Tokopedia activity targets a transaction of IDR 1.5 billion with 1 million visitors//VOI
March
Indonesia pushes electric vehicle use at G20 side event
Written by Nur Yasmin
Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Minister Arifin Tasrif called for the use of electric vehicles to reduce carbon emissions in Indonesia at the Conventional-to-Electric Converted Motorcycle Parade here on Wednesday.
The parade was among Indonesia’s G20 Presidency side events. The first meeting of the 2022 G20 Energy Transition Working Group (ETWG) is scheduled to take place on March 24–25, 2022, in Yogyakarta.
"The activity is in line with our attempt to reduce emissions, therefore, we continue to increase the use of electric vehicles. We have just tested the conventional motorcycles, which we have converted," the minister said.
In addition to reducing carbon emissions, vehicle conversion can reduce fuel consumption and encourage the development of other supporting industries, he added.
"Currently, there are more than 100 Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (SPKLUs), with 85 percent of them using home charging system. We will continue to encourage the utilization of electrical energy to lessen (the use of) fossil fuels," he stated.
The ESDM Ministry is aiming to convert 120 million conventional vehicles into electric ones across Indonesia in the next 10 years.
"If each of the 120 million vehicles uses two liters of fuel per day, hence, through the vehicle conversion program, we will save 240 million liters of fuel per day," Tasrif noted.
The utilization of electric vehicles will also help vehicle owners save on spending since electric energy is cheaper than fuel, he added.
"We assume that using two liters of fuel will cost about Rp24 thousand (equivalent to US$1.66 as US$1 is Rp14,429 as of March 23, 2022). However, people will only spend a quarter of the amount if they use electrical energy—which is about Rp6 thousand (equivalent to US$0.42),” the minister said.
Hence, the owners of the vehicles will have a lot of savings, he noted. (Antaranews)
March
Indonesia, Thailand discuss plans for pandemic-endemic transition
Written by Nur Yasmin
Indonesian House Speaker Puan Maharani and President of the Senate of Thailand Pornpetch Wichitcholchai discussed plans for the pandemic-to-endemic transition in their respective countries during a bilateral meeting in Bali on Wednesday.
During the meeting, which was held on the sidelines of the 144th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly, they both agreed that the transition period needs to be prepared carefully to guarantee effective recovery programs.
"Various adjustments have been made by Indonesia. The Indonesian House of Representatives has participated in supervising the government's efforts, which draw up a road map to the endemic," Maharani told Wichitcholchai.
They also shared experiences regarding efforts for recovering the tourism sector considering that it is one of the main sources of foreign exchange for both Indonesia and Thailand.
"I encourage the cooperation between the two countries to revitalize tourism," Maharani said.
Aside from tourism, she also pushed for increasing trade and investment cooperation. She welcomed the Thai National Assembly’s approval for the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) on the establishment of the Indonesian and Thai Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group.
According to Maharani, the House is still reviewing the MoU and the draft will be completed soon.
During the 144th IPU Assembly, she also met Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanim, Speaker of the Kuwait National Assembly, and discussed women's empowerment policies.
"We see that women's empowerment contributes greatly to peace, democracy, human rights, and the handling of COVID-19," she remarked.
On the same day, she also met the President of the National Parliament of Timor-Leste, Aniceto Longuinhos.
Maharani and Longuinhos discussed border negotiations that have not been resolved until now.
"We ask for the support of the Timor-Leste (Parliament) to expedite the completion of the determination of land borders in the Noel Besi-Citrana segment and the Bijael Sunan-Oben segment," she said.
Maharani further said that Indonesia supports full membership for Timor Leste in ASEAN and ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly. (Antaranews)
March
KSP head asks younger generation to manage information wisely
Written by Nur Yasmin
Head of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP) Moeldoko has asked the younger generation to manage information that is spread on different platforms and can easily be accessed on social media wisely.
Moeldoko, during a working visit here on Wednesday, said that if the information is not managed wisely, especially by young people, it can have a negative impact.
“If all the information is not managed well, various spreading information can generate something negative," he said.
He explained that many young people today want to be rich instantly, which is one of the negative impacts of the large amount of information being spread without proper management.
He expressed the hope that universities in Indonesia will build the character of Indonesia's younger generation so that they can manage all the information circulating on different platforms wisely.
Indonesia's young generation is expected to become a strong generation because the challenges ahead will be more challenging, Moeldoko added.
According to him, there are a number of global phenomena that will pose a serious challenge and cannot be avoided, namely the factors of change, speed, risk, complexity, and unexpected events.
One of the challenges that the world is currently facing is the COVID-19 pandemic that has stretched for two years.
"We can see that COVID-19 has brought extraordinary changes. The complexity is so high; the changes are so fast," he remarked.
Given these conditions and a number of other challenges, Indonesia's younger generation could become a strong generation and come up with various innovations to answer existing challenges, he said.
"For that reason, in the midst of developments, what is needed is a nation that has a strong character and has innovations," he remarked. (Antaranews)
March
Ministry optimistic of alleviating 32 disadvantaged areas by 2024
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Villages, Disadvantaged Areas, and Transmigration (PDTT) Ministry is optimistic of being able to alleviate 32 disadvantaged areas in Indonesia by 2024.
During the online unveiling of President Regulation No. 105 of 2021 on Tuesday, PDTT Minister Abdul Halim Iskandar noted that the 32 disadvantaged areas exceeded the minimal set target of 25 areas.
"We add seven areas to improve our performance," he explained.
Alleviating these disadvantaged areas is done through village data based on the Village Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the starting point for development of the alleviation program and activity planning process.
Village SDGs comprise 18 goals that serve as the course for village development with 222 indicators, the minister added.
"In short, Village SDGs conserve culture and revive villagers for village independence," he affirmed.
During the event, Iskandar noted that in 2019, his ministry had managed to alleviate 62 disadvantaged areas out of the 122 disadvantaged areas determined by Presidential Regulation No. 131 of 2015 on Determining Disadvantaged Areas in 2015-2019.
"This means that in 2019, we left out 60 disadvantaged areas," he elaborated.
In 2020, Presidential Regulation No. 63 of 2020 on Determining Disadvantaged Areas in 2020-2024 determined that there are 62 disadvantaged areas spread out in 11 provinces.
"The regulation includes new autonomous regions in 2012, specifically Manokwari Selatan and Pegunungan Arfak. Thus, the number increased, from 60 to 62 disadvantaged areas," the minister added.
Alleviating disadvantaged areas necessitates integrated move from the ministries or institutions, regional governments, central government, and other stakeholders, he opined.
"Through integrated collaborative move between many parties, alleviation of disadvantaged areas can be completed by 2024 as mandated by the 2020-2024 RPJMN (Medium-Term National Development Program)," he noted.
Concerning the Presidential Regulation No. 105 of 2020 on Disadvantaged areas Development Acceleration National Strategy in 2020-2024, Iskandar noted that it contains strategic, systematic, and sustainable plans to alleviate the gap between regions.
It also aims to expedite the fulfillment of basic needs, facilities, and infrastructure for disadvantaged areas and to bolster integrated coordination and synchronization between the central and regional apparatuses in the program's planning and execution. (antaranews)
March
The G20 meeting is an opportunity to realize braver collective action to handle climate change, biodiversity loss, and overpopulation, Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya has said.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the minister said that the adoption of the Glasgow climate pact and other decisions taken during the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP) meeting underlined the importance of bolstering collective emission reduction efforts.
The efforts involve expediting and implementing domestic mitigation steps, she noted at the opening of the G20 Environment Deputies Meeting and Climate Sustainability Working Group (EDM-CSWG) in Yogyakarta on Tuesday.
In addition, they include protecting, conserving, and recovering nature as well as the ecosystem for climate adaptation and mitigation, as well as ensuring social and environmental protection.
Indonesia aims to gather pressing topics concerning the global process and development to push real action during its G20 Presidency, Nurbaya said.
This will be done by considering the inheritance and work from the previous G20 EDM-CSWG.
Concerning Indonesia's climate change and climate target in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), she explained that Indonesia has initiated the net sink in forestry and other land use (FoLU) sector in 2030.
Indonesia’s 2030 FoLU Net Sink comprises strategies and approaches to reach a FoLU sector greenhouse gas emission absorption rate that matches or even exceeds the emission rate in Indonesia.
Meanwhile, the FoLU sector after 2030 is targeted to absorb more emissions.
When combined with other greenhouse gas emission reduction activities from other sectors, it could help the nation reach carbon neutral status by 2060 or earlier.
In reaching the medium and long-term target for emissions reduction, the nation’s unique ecosystem, which includes peatland and mangrove ecosystems, is playing an important role, Nurbaya explained.
Almost 90 percent of the world's peatland ecosystems and 41 percent of global mangrove land as well as unique ecosystems exist in G20 countries, she noted.
This places the G20 in a strategic position to control climate change through the protection and rehabilitation of peatlands and mangroves.
The first EDM-CSWG is the first G20 milestone through collective effort to protect the environment and deal with climate change to ensure a more sustainable and climate-resilient future, the minister said.
"Let us recover together, recover stronger," she remarked. (antaranews)