VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Geothermal Power Plant (PLTP) Kamojang in Bandung District, West Java, operated by PT Indonesia Power Kamojang Power Generation Operation and Maintenance Services Unit (POMU), a subsidiary of PT PLN. ANTARA/Kelik Dewanto

The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has readied a compensation scheme in the form of reimbursement for exploration costs and incentives for the development of geothermal infrastructure to encourage investment in renewable energy in Indonesia.

Taking into account the high risk and investment in the development of environment-friendly geothermal power plants, the ministry has realized the significance of offering some incentive.

The ministry's Director General of Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation, Fx Sutijastoto, noted in a statement in Jakarta on Thursday that the compensation was aimed at ensuring geothermal energy is priced at an affordable level.

"The government has provided incentive and compensation, so the price of renewable energy can be affordable for the public while still being economically feasible for the developer. For instance, in the geothermal sector, to reduce the risk, we provide incentive and compensation, so that PT PLN can offer a better price. We will also provide the exploration costs and tax holidays," Sutijastoto noted.

The ministry projected that the incentive and compensation could press the geothermal energy price lower to some US$2.5-4 cent per kilo Watt hour (kWh).

A regulation on this scheme will be included in the draft of the presidential decree on renewable energy purchasing by state-owned electricity firm PT PLN.

According to Sutijastoto, the ministry will form a team to supervise the process to reimburse the exploration costs that will involve the ministry's Geological Agency and academicians.

The ministry has already received a nod from the Finance Ministry's Fiscal Policy Agency (BKF) to implement the scheme, and the compensation fund will be allocated from the state budget (APBN).

Indonesia has 442 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity, but merely 10.4 GW, or 2.4 percent, has been installed.

Indonesia has 23.9 GW of geothermal energy potential, and as of May 2020, some 8.17 percent was explored. (ANTARA)

An archive photo: forest fire in West Kalimantan Province. ANTARA PHOTO/Jessica Helena Wuysang/16

The Environmental Affairs and Forestry (LHK) Ministry officially issued a decree (SK) on releasing 6,901 hectares of protected forest area, or 69,011,965 square meters, in Sekadau District, West Kalimantan Province.

"We have good news. We have received a decree from the LHK minister pertaining to the release of protected forest areas," Sekadau District Head Rupinus stated in Sekadau, W Kalimantan on Thursday.

The LHK minister’s decree is a follow up to a proposal submitted by the Sekadau district government several years ago and also a follow up of an event held at the Tugulis Untan Monument in Pontianak in September 2019 when President Joko Widodo handed over a decree on land distribution to the local people, he noted.

In accordance with LHK Ministerial Decree Number 25 / MENLHK / SETJEN / PLA.2 / 6/2020, the government releases a total of 69,011,962 square meters of protected forests located in Mount Naming - Lubuk Lintang - Gunung Burung, Gunung Biwa, Gunung Tinjil Limited Production Forests, Buayan River, Kenyabur River, and Mount Tinjil Permanent Production Forest - Buayan River, Kenyabur River, Betung Mountain, Jabai Mountain, Sekayam River, and Mengkiang River. 

In the near future, the village heads will be invited in Pontianak for the symbolic handover of land from President Joko Widodo through videoconferencing, he stated.

Sekadau is West Kalimantan’s only district to receive land that was initially part of the protected forest area, he pointed out.

Rupinus is optimistic that the community would stand to benefit from the LHK minister's decision to convert the protected forest area into a non-protected one.

"The names of all villages (receiving the land) are listed. It is expected to benefit the community, either for settlements, plantations, or farming," he remarked.

The Sekadau district head spoke of his plan to soon coordinate with the National Land Agency to prioritize the issuance of free certificates for the newly converted land. (ANTARA)

A simulation of COVID-19 handling in Aceh, May 29, 2020. ANTARA PHOTO/Rahmad)

Aceh Provincial Task Force for the Acceleration of COVID-19 Response (GTPP) confirmed that no new case of COVID-19 was recorded in Aceh Province’s five districts and cities despite growing number of cases in other regions.

"Zero cases of COVID-19 were recorded only in Southeast Aceh, West Aceh, Aceh Singkil, Nagan Raya, and Subulussalam," the task force's spokesman, Saifullah Abdulgani, stated in Banda Aceh on Thursday.

COVID-19 has spread to 18 districts and five cities in Aceh.

Aceh recorded 45 new confirmed cases on Wednesday, following the spread of COVID-19 to Central Aceh.

"The first three cases of COVID-19 in Central Aceh were part of the 45 new cases reported from 11 districts and cities in Aceh," he noted.

Of the 45 new cases, 11 were reported in Bener Meriah; eight in Aceh Tamiang; six respectively in Bireuen and Aceh Besar; four in Lhokseumawe; three each in Central Aceh and South Aceh; and one respectively in North Aceh, Southwest Aceh, Pidie, and Banda Aceh.

The COVID-19 tally in Aceh reached 238 cases, including 132 people still receiving medical care, 94 people recovering, and 12 people, who succumbed to the disease, he noted.

In the meantime, 43 Indonesian districts and cities have not reported a single case of coronavirus infection and remain free from the pandemic, according to the National Task Force on COVID-19 Response.

“Hence, it turns out that when we delve deeper, there are still 8.4 percent, or around 43 districts and cities in Indonesia, which have never registered COVID-19 cases. It is (their COVID-19 case count) zero,” Dewi Nur Aisyah, a member of the task force's Expert Team, stated at a press conference in Jakarta on July 27, 2020.

According to the task force’s data, 66.3 percent, or some 341 districts and cities, recorded below 100 cases until now.

"This means more than 50 percent of districts and cities in Indonesia (have less than 100 cases),” she remarked. (ANTARA)

Jakarta (VOI News) - Eid al-Adha in Ethiopia falls on Friday (31/07). In contrast to last year, this year the Indonesian Embassy Addis Ababa in Ethiopia did not hold mass Eid al-Adha prayer together at the Indonesian Embassy. Eid al-Adha prayers will only be held on a limited basis by applying health protocols. This was conveyed by the Indonesian Ambassador to Ethiopia concurrently Djibouti and the African Union, Al Busyra Basnur, to Voice of Indonesia in Jakarta, Thursday (07/30). However, Al Busyra Basnur added he and the staff of the embassy still feel the atmosphere of excitement and solemnity of the Eid al-Adha holiday.

"This year we at the Indonesian Embassy in Addis Ababa do not hold Eid Al-Adha prayers together with the Indonesian community as in the previous year because we have to follow the COVID-19 protocol. In this case we must obey orders and regulations set by the Ethiopian government. However, we still feel the atmosphere of festivity and solemnity of Eid al-Adha. We only carry out a limited prayer attended by staff of the Indonesian Embassy," said Al Busyra Basnur.

Ambassador Al Busyra Basnur said there are currently around 150 Indonesian people in Ethiopia and around 6 people in Djibouti, a country located in northern Ethiopia. (VOI / AHM)