VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has recorded an increase in the portion of new and renewable energy in the country`s energy mix for power plants last year. Chief of the ministry`s communication, public information service and cooperation bureau, Agung Pribadi said in a press statement released on Sunday(7/1) that the portion of new and renewable energy in the energy mix for power plants reached 12.52 percent as of November 2017. The figure outstripped the target of 11.96 percent set in the revised 2016 state budget. Nearly 5 percent of the 12.52 percent portion of new and renewable energy in the energy mix was contributed by geothermal power plants, 7.27 percent by hydro power plants and 0.25 percent from other use of new and renewable energy. He said geothermal power plants saw an increase in power production last year. As of November 2017, power production from geothermal power plants reached 11,560 Giga Watts per hour (GWh) compared to 10,656 GWh a year earlier. Meanwhile, other new and renewable energy based power plants contributed 579 GWh to the energy mix for power plants in 2017. The government has been committed to focusing on increasing the portion of new and renewable energy in the energy mix for power plants// ANTARA

The Financial Services Authority (OJK) has said that all financial service firms are required to register within the Financial Information Service System (SLIK) by 2022. Regional development banks and multifinance companies must register to the system by the end of 2018, while venture capital companies and other financial services must register by the end of 2022. According to the OJK, 28 financial service firms have made requests to become SLIK members ahead of the deadline. Peer-to-peer (P2P) lenders, microfinance institutions and credit unions are exempt from the mandatory requirement. In a press conference in Jakarta over the weekend, OJK deputy commissioner for banking supervision II Boedi Armanto said the current policy was only voluntary reporting. The SLIK, which was fully implemented on January 1st, is a continuation of Bank Indonesia’s debtor information system (SID). The new and improved system uses citizenship identity and taxpayer numbers for better data integration//  

National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia is set to add 30 new routes for both domestic and international flights. Airline spokesman Ikhsan Rosan on Sunday (7/1) said in Tangerang, Banten that the airline will immediately open two flights to China – Denpasar-Zhengzhou and Denpasar-Xi’an. He did not say when the new routes would open, but stressed that China had the potential to contribute to Indonesia's tourism industry. About 120 million Chinese nationals travel abroad annually, he said, adding that 1 million Chinese tourists visited Indonesia in 2017. He said, for the two new Chinese routes, Garuda Indonesia will fly five times a week. Ikhsan said for domestic services, the airline would send more flights to eastern Indonesian and provide feeder services from small, satellite cities to large cities like Medan in North Sumatra and Makassar in South Sulawesi//  

An endemic Rafflesia gadutensis flower has completely bloomed at Boven Lais conservation forest in North Bengkulu district, Bengkulu province. Riki Septian, the coordinator of Bengkulu Utara Care for Rare Blooms Community (KPPL) said on Sunday  (7/1) in Bengkulu that the flower is still blossoming perfectly since Saturday (6/1) and the view is breathtaking. After the ranger found the blooming flower, local tourists have packed the conservation zone since Saturday. Most of the tourists were seen taking pictures with the rare Rafflesia gadutensis, which has been dubbed as the largest flower in the world. Septian said, for the tourists who want to see the Rafflesia flower, they have to be assisted by the rangers during the trekking, and viewing activities. The rangers, he explained, need to guide the tourists, because the flower which was found near the Palak Siring Kemumu waterfall is situated within the conservation area. Therefore, the ranger needs to ensure any visits made by the local would cause no harm to the flower and its habitat. He also noted that people are still able to enjoy seeing the rare blooming flower for the next three days// Voi.Ant