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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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July
Indonesia, USA discuss cooperation in vaccine supply, distribution
Written by Nur Yasmin
Indonesian Trade Minister Muhammad Lutfi has discussed cooperation in the supply and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines with the United States (US) during a working visit, according to a press statement that ANTARA received here on Thursday.
He has convinced several American parties that the supply and distribution of vaccines is key to Indonesia's economic recovery, Lutfi said at the Indonesia-United States Trade and Investment Dialogue.
"Ensuring the availability and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines is a priority for the Indonesian government in handling this pandemic. The availability and distribution of vaccines will accelerate the national vaccination target for 208.2 million people," he said.
Dozens of US businessmen, including representatives from vaccine manufacturers Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, participated in the business forum held at the Indonesian Embassy in Washington D.C.
The Indonesian government needs 426 million vaccine doses to meet its COVID-19 vaccination target by the end of 2021, Lutfi told the forum. Therefore, the government needs to establish cooperation with several parties to be able to handle the pandemic, he said.
In the meantime, the transmission of the Delta variant has led to an exponential increase in the number of COVID-19 patients in the country, he noted.
Besides the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, an mRNA-based vaccine is expected to be a solution for Indonesia to fight the Delta variant, Lutfi said.
The ministry is making a marathon effort to obtain vaccine supplies from the United States, he added.
During his visit, Lutfi also met with managing director of development policy and partnership for World Bank, Mari Elka Pangestu. He was accompanied by Investment Minister and head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), Bahlil Lahadalia, and CEO of the Indonesia Investment Authority (INA), Ridha Wirakusumah.
Following the meeting, Lutfi said the World Bank has agreed that the key to Indonesia's economic recovery lies in the provision of COVID-19 vaccines. The World Bank has said it will continue to work with Indonesia to handle COVID-19 and develop the nation's health system, he added.
One day before meeting Pangestu, Minister Lutfi had met with the managing director of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Makhtar Diop.
The meeting discussed funding cooperation to increase the supply chain of messenger RNA (mRNA)-based vaccines for Indonesia, Lutfi informed.
He said he emphasized the need for increasing the supply of vaccines based on mRNA technology to treat COVID-19 patients infected with the Delta variant during the meeting.
"A vaccine developed based on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology is a solution against the latest variant of COVID-19. Therefore, Indonesia needs to accelerate the supply of the mRNA-based vaccine," he remarked.
At the end of his working visit to the US, Minister Lutfi met with the United States Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador, Katherine Tai.
During the strategic meeting, USTR reaffirmed its commitment to addressing issues included in the US trade policy agenda, including employment issues or a worker-centered trade policy, the environment, and climate change, as well as WTO reform, Lutfi said.
He and Tai also discussed cooperation in handling COVID-19 and fisheries sector subsidies.
At the end of the meeting, they committed to strengthening cooperation through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), G20 Summit 2021, and cooperation in the implementation of the 18th Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) in 2021.
The United States is one of Indonesia's main trading partners with bilateral trade between the nations reaching US$27.2 billion in 2020.
Indonesia's exports to the US touched US$18.62 billion last year, while its imports reached US$8.58 billion.
Meanwhile, Indonesia's trade balance against the US recorded a surplus of US$10.04 billion in 2020. (Antaranews)
July
Foreign Minister supports fair vaccine access at NAM conference
Written by Nur Yasmin
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi encouraged fair access to the COVID-19 vaccine at the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Ministerial Conference held virtually on July 13-14, 2021.
Marsudi in a statement here on Wednesday highlighted the huge vaccine inequality currently prevalent. Most developed countries had immunized 70 percent of their population, while the progress in inoculation in most NAM countries was still below 10 percent.
The minister noted that NAM countries had prioritized reducing the imbalance and expediting vaccination in developing nations.
NAM can contribute to the effort by calling for more dose-sharing, strengthening support for COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) facilities, and supporting the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) waiver negotiations.
In addition to vaccine access, Marsudi underscored that NAM countries cooperate to restore economies hit by the pandemic.
The minister noted that the pandemic had pushed hundreds of millions of people into poverty and hindered the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Hence, Marsudi called on the NAM to work together to ensure the participation of developing nations in the international financial architecture, address unfair trade practices and donor requirements, and boost global partnerships for development.
"Indonesia will utilize next year's G20 Summit Presidency to prioritize developing countries' interests," Marsudi stated.
The minister also reasserted Indonesia's support for Palestine, the only nation that had yet to attain independence.
The foreign affairs minister called for all NAM countries to recognize the State of Palestine, support the relaunch of credible multilateral negotiations, and ensure humanitarian access to relieve Palestinians' affliction.
At the end of her statement, Marsudi affirmed that NAM has strength, in terms of the size and number of member states.
The minister confirmed that NAM countries can translate this power into positive influence for the world if they continue to work together and be loyal to Dasasila Bandung, 10 statement points of support for world peace and cooperation.
At the ministerial conference held under Azerbaijan’s chairmanship, Marsudi stated that NAM still faced the same challenges since its establishment six decades back, which are issues pertaining to the world's great powers, inequality, and socio-economic injustice.
These issues are further compounded by the current challenges. Hence, Marsudi believes that NAM's principles and values, including multilateralism, have become more relevant.
The conference resulted in a political declaration confirming NAM's position in various global issues.
The Indonesian delegation proposed several paragraphs on the COVID-19 pandemic pertaining to fair distribution of vaccines, women in peacekeeping, disarmament, observer states, changes in NAM work practices, and the Palestine issue.
The conference also approved Russia as the observer of NAM. (Antaranews)
July
Vaccines are global public goods: President Jokowi
Written by Nur Yasmin
Vaccines are global public goods, so worldwide accessibility to them was paramount, according to President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).
"Vaccines, as global public goods, are not just a slogan. Indonesia has encouraged to accelerate the implementation of equal access to vaccines for all countries," Jokowi stated at the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) virtual forum, on Wednesday.
Jokowi noted that the distribution of vaccines in various doses was one of the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) facilities.
"The other facilities were to fulfill multilateral vaccine funding needs, increase global vaccine production through TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) weaver, and strengthen the global vaccine supply chain," the president stated.
The head of state remarked that the global vaccine supply chain could be strengthened by eliminating export barriers, cutting the limitation to vaccine raw materials, and increasing the volume of vaccine production diversification, including in developing countries.
According to Jokowi’s statement, all countries must unify efforts to help one another recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. At the forum, the president drew attention to several points to help address health and economic problems being experienced worldwide.
"Vaccine is our hope to recover from this global health crisis. Fair and equal access to vaccines must be guaranteed since we see there is still a wide gap in vaccine access throughout the country," he stated while explaining the first point.
Moreover, Jokowi highlighted the need to step up attention and assistance to vulnerable groups due to decreased economic activity. Vulnerable groups refer to elderly people, people with disabilities, and the poor.
"It is important for us to ensure the well-being of those affected by this pandemic, especially vulnerable groups of people," he stated.
The Indonesian government had allocated US$28.5 billion for social assistance to vulnerable groups, and no less than 9.8 million micro businesses have received business sustainability assistance.
Under the third point, Jokowi called for the global economy to recover together. Some countries clocked positive economic growth. It would be better if it occurred simultaneously with other nations while still not compromising on the health aspect.
"We also encourage investment in a resilient and green recovery," Jokowi stated with reference to the following point. In order to achieve the target, first-world nations should support a resilient and green recovery of developing countries. This supported the last point that Jokowi presented.
"Lastly, no one should be left behind. We had to work hand in hand and avoid the 'me first policy'. Let us build trust and solidarity to achieve common goals for this world," the president stated.
Until today, 255 million people have lost their jobs, 110 million have been pushed back to poverty, and 83-132 million were at risk of starvation and malnutrition.
"In this distressing situation, it is hard to run the business as usual. Collaboration and solidarity must be implemented, and innovation must be increased. No country can progress until all countries progress," Jokowi said in his closing speech. (Antaranews)
July
President to unveil free COVID-19 medicine packages on Thursday
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan confirmed that President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) will unveil free medicine packages for mildly symptomatic COVID-19 patients on Thursday (July 15).
"On July 15 (Thursday), we will unveil around 300 thousand medicine packages for infected people experiencing mild symptoms. Of course, this is in keeping with the doctors' directives," the minister noted at the virtual Investor Daily Summit 2021 here on Wednesday.
Pandjaitan remarked that the 300 thousand medicine packages will be distributed on a weekly basis to mildly symptomatic COVID-19 patients. The medicine packages will reach 210 thousand active COVID-19 patients.
The therapeutic medicine packages comprises package 1 for asymptomatic patients (10 percent), package 2 for patients with symptoms of fever and loss of sense of smell or anosmia (60 percent), and package 3 for patients with symptoms of fever and cough (30 percent).
Pandjaitan, concurrently the coordinator for Java Bali emergency public activities restriction (PPKM) explained that the government has also ensured oxygen availability in the midst of rising number of COVID-19 cases recently.
Pandjaitan noted that oxygen generator supplies had begun arriving from China and Singapore.
"We hope that starting this week oxygen supplies will increase. We have received 1,500 five- and 10-liter capacity oxygen generators from China. We have also received few thousands from Singapore. Probably we will receive around 10 thousand this month. We are also planning to import oxygen generators, starting from 40 thousand," he expounded.
The oxygen generators will then be used to treat patients with mild symptoms.
In addition, the government has sought to increase the number of beds for COVID-19 patients. The Indonesia National Defense Forces (TNI) has mobilized the establishment of emergency tents and converted their facilities to function as nursing rooms for patients with mild and severe symptoms.
"We have converted the hospital in (Pondok Gede) Hajj Dormitory having 150 beds and also at Pertamina. Additionally, we have deployed human resources, with 2,200 fresh graduate doctors alongside 20 thousand nurses," Pandjaitan stated. (Antaranews)
July
Indonesia, Singapore discuss investment, green energy
Written by Nur Yasmin
Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, on Tuesday said he met with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and several ministers to discuss a number of issues, including investment and green energy.
During the meeting, the Singapore government stressed its commitment to strengthen economic cooperation with Indonesia and encourage more Singaporean businesses to invest in Indonesia.
"The Singapore Prime Minister stated that the business climate in Indonesia is getting better so his government is continuing to encourage Singapore businessmen to invest in Indonesia," Hartarto said in a written statement released on Tuesday.
At the meeting, the two neighboring countries also committed to jointly developing green energy, he added.
The Singapore government will soon inaugurate a floating photovoltaic power station with a capacity of 60 megawatts in Singapore. The city state is also supporting the development of the Kendal industrial estate in Central Java, inaugurated by President Joko Widodo and Prime Minister Loong in 2016.
Loong lauded the Indonesian government's decision to designate Batam as a special economic zone, which is expected to attract Singapore investment. An IT center can also be built in Batam to train skilled workers in the digital field, he said.
Meanwhile, during their meeting, Hartarto and Singapore Vice Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat discussed potential cooperation to help Indonesia come out of the COVID-19 crisis.
"The Indonesian government is trying hard to control the spread of this variant of COVID-19 by accelerating the vaccination program. President Joko Widodo has ordered to increase the daily vaccination rate to one million doses and further two million doses," Hartarto said.
During his stay, Hartarto also met with Singapore Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam. Both sides agreed that all countries should work hand in hand to handle the epicenters of the disease, Hartarto informed. (Antaranews)
July
US announces shipment of 1.5 mln Moderna doses to Indonesia
Written by Nur Yasmin
The United States shipped 1.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine to Indonesia on Monday to help the country battle a surge in COVID-19 infections, US Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced on Tuesday.
The new tranche of vaccine doses is in addition to the 3 million doses of the Moderna vaccine that the Biden administration announced late last week, bringing the total doses donated by the US to Indonesia to 4.5 million.
“I’m so pleased to announce today the United States is sending 1.5 million American vaccine doses to Indonesia as the nation faces a tragic surge in COVID cases and deaths," Senator Duckworth, who is also a combat veteran, said in a statement released by the US embassy here on Tuesday.
"These American vaccines will supplement the 3 million doses we sent last week and they come with no strings attached, but rather with the knowledge that no nation can be completely safe from COVID-19 until all nations are — so we have to work together to save lives and help bring an end to this awful pandemic everywhere."
"I’ll keep working closely with the Indonesian government to support the people of Indonesia and make sure they receive the safe, effective vaccines doses and international aid they need to reach the other side of this deadly pandemic,” she remarked.
Duckworth said she lived in Indonesia as a child before serving in the United States Reserve Forces for 23 years.
She is now a member of the US Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and recently led a Congressional delegation visit to Taiwan, where she announced an American donation of vaccine doses.
On Friday, Duckworth spoke with the Indonesian chargé d’affaires in Washington, D.C., Iwan Freddy Hari Susanto, who is the highest-ranking Indonesian Embassy official in the United States, to underscore the United States' commitment to the Indonesian people as they seek to overcome a tragic surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths, according to the press release.
During their conversation last week, Duckworth and Susanto also discussed the US government’s continued efforts to increase assistance for Indonesia’s broader COVID-19 response efforts, which has included more than US$14.5 million in direct COVID-19 relief, including US$3.5 million to help vaccinate Indonesians quickly and safely.
Meanwhile, USAID is providing health education to the public, training thousands of health workers, and funding a national COVID-19 information website that reaches more than 36 million people.
The US government has also donated COVID-19 testing equipment, one thousand ventilators, and nearly two thousand hand-washing stations to Indonesia. (Antaranews)
July
Indonesia gets over 3 mln AstraZeneca shots via COVAX
Written by Nur Yasmin
A total of 3,476,400 doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, procured through the multilateral vaccine-sharing COVAX facility, arrived in the Indonesian capital on Tuesday.
“Indonesia once again receives shipment from COVAX Facility multilateral platform, with (the arrival of) 3,476,400doses of AstraZeneca vaccines,” Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi, announced at an online press conference upon the arrival of the shipment on Tuesday.
With the eighth shipment from COVAX arriving in the country, Indonesia's vaccine procurement through the multilateral scheme has reached 14,704,860 vaccines as of July 13, 2021, she noted.
On July 12, 2021, Indonesia received 10,000,280 doses of the Sinovac vaccine in the form of bulk or raw materials, which will be processed domestically into ready-to-use shots, she said.
On Tuesday (July 13, 2021), the country also received another 1.408 million Sinopharm shots, she added.
“With these arrivals, Indonesia has secured and received a total of 137,611,540 vaccine doses, both in the forms of raw materials and ready-to-use shots,” Marsudi informed.
She further stated that in the coming days, Indonesia will receive an additional batch of Moderna vaccines, procured via a multilateral dose-sharing scheme, from the United States of America.
Shots procured under bilateral dose-sharing schemes will also arrive from Japan and the United Arab Emirates, she added.
Minister Marsudi reiterated Indonesia’s firm support for equitable access to vaccines, highlighting the gap in the percentage of vaccinated populations across the globe.
“In North America and Europe, for example, 75 percent of the population has received vaccinations, whilst in Africa the number has only reached 4.03 percent, and 16.3 percent in the ASEAN region, from the total number of its population,” she noted.
She echoed the statement made by director-general of the World Health Organization that an additional 350 million doses are needed to vaccinate at least 10 percent of the population in every country by 2021. Furthermore, 11 billion doses are needed to vaccinate 70 percent of the global population by mid-2022.
“This is not an insubstantial challenge… However through cooperation and collaboration, and solidarity, this challenge can be addressed together,” Marsudi remarked. (Antaranews)
July
BI revises downward 2021 economic growth forecast to 3.8%
Written by Nur Yasmin
Bank Indonesia (BI) has revised downward its forecast for 2021 national economic growth from 4.1-5.1 percent to 3.8 percent citing the enforcement of emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM).
"If the emergency PPKM lasts for one month and lowers COVID-19 cases, well, then the economic growth will decline to around 3.8 percent," BI Governor Perry Warjiyo said at a working meeting with the budget committee of the House of Representatives (DPR) in Jakarta on Monday.
The emergency PPKM will lower public mobility and consumption, which will eventually affect national economic growth, he observed. However, the government has had to resort to the policy to stem COVID-19 cases, he said.
One of the possible impacts of the emergency PPKM is low household consumption, which should draw further attention considering that public demand has remained low until now, he added.
Low public demand will keep inflation rate under control, most likely below 3 percent this year, he predicted.
"For us, at this moment our efforts are not controlling inflation, but pushing demand and economic growth," Warjiyo said.
Signs of national economic recovery can be seen from the first- and second-quarter growth, which was driven by fiscal spending and non-construction investment, he added.
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has forecast that national economic growth in 2021 will lie within the range of 3.7-4.5 percent on account of the emergency PPKM enforced in Java and Bali.
"The overall growth for 2021 will lie in the range of 3.7 to 4.5 percent, as the first-quarter growth was recorded at minus 0.7 percent," she said during a webinar on the mid-year economic outlook here last Wednesday.
The government’s earlier growth projection lay in the range of 4.5 to 5.3 percent before the emergency PPKM was imposed due to a recent spike in COVID-19 cases. (Antaranews)
July
Indonesia records over four-fold rise in investment financing: govt
Written by Nur Yasmin
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati highlighted that the realization of investment financing in the first semester of 2021 soared over four folds to reach Rp25.6 trillion, from Rp6 trillion during the corresponding period last year.
"The realization of investment financing in the first semester had reached Rp25.6 trillion, a drastic increase as compared to that in 2020," the minister stated at a working meeting with the Budget Committee at the House of Representatives (DPR) in Jakarta on Monday.
Investment financing comprised Rp15.6 trillion investment for public service agencies (BLU) and Rp10 trillion government investment for regions through the national economic recovery (PEN) loans.
"Once again, this is below the line of state debts, but it can help all elements in regions," she asserted.
The financing was channeled to the BLU of the Housing Finance Fund Management Center (PPDPP) for the construction of 93,792 out of the targeted 157,500 houses through a house ownership loan (KPR) scheme.
The second is the BLU of the Educational Fund Management Institute (LPDP) that has extended scholarships to 6,469 out of the targeted seven thousand recipients and financed 32 out of the targeted 50 researches.
The other was the BLU of the Government Investment Center (PIP) that had financed 1.1 million out of the targeted 1.8 million ultra-micro debtors, she noted
Indrawati remarked that the Finance Ministry was in the process of finalizing a regulation to realize investment in state-owned companies. (Antaranews)
July
Government's decision on COVID-19 handling still integrated: minister
Written by Nur Yasmin
Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan emphasized that the government's decision to deal with COVID-19 is still integrated.
"We, as the implementers, have no problems. We decide everything in an integrated manner. We decide everything in an integrated way," the minister emphasized at a virtual press conference in Jakarta, Monday.
According to the COVID-19 Task Force, as of July 11, 2021, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia has reached 2,527,203, with the addition of 36,197 cases in 24 hours, thereby bringing the total tally of active cases to 376,015.
"I have said many times that we have several problems, and we fix this problem in an orderly manner because the team works very closely," Pandjaitan affirmed.
The minister highlighted that President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) had given clear-cut instructions.
Earlier, Gerindra Party politician Fadli Zon had urged President Jokowi to take over the handling of COVID-19, as the government's projections regarding COVID-19 since the start of last year were often wide of the mark.
According to Zon, if the government wants to be serious, President Jokowi should lead the handling of COVID-19 directly.
"Hence, if someone says that the situation is not under control, it is very under control. Thus, those who speak out of control can come to me later. I will demonstrate to them that we are under control," Pandjaitan stated.
Regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, Pandjaitan also explained that Indonesia had again received vaccine donations from friendly countries.
"We agree that there will be an increase in vaccinations conducted by the Indonesian Military (TNI), National Police (Polri), and health services, directly in marginal areas, the outskirts of the city. I think it can run this week," Pandjaitan stated.
The minister highlighted that the implementation of community activity restrictions (PPKM) was another government strategy to stem the spread of COVID-19.
"I think with the implementation of vaccination, the PPKM then runs simultaneously, medicine and oxygen, and then beds. I see in the next four to five days, the situation will improve," Pandjaitan remarked.
The COVID-19 Task Force’s data indicated that the number of patients recovered from COVID-19 had risen by 32,615, thereby bringing the total recovery count to 2,084,724 people.
Meanwhile, the number of people that died from exposure to COVID-19 rose by 1,007, bringing the total number of deaths from COVID-19 in Indonesia to 66,464.
Meanwhile, 36,267,019 people received the first dose of vaccination and 15,011,348 people were administered the second vaccination. This figure is still far from the national vaccination target of 181,554,465 people. (Antaranews)