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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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August
Government to seek balance in terms of expensive airfares: Minister
Written by Nur Yasmin
The government is seeking a balance in terms of the expensive airfares that contribute to inflation, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi stated.
"We maintain a balance in the capabilities of the transport sector through (the policy of) not raising ticket prices. We must discuss in detail, how we (can) regulate prices, so that inflation in that sector would not be too high," Sumadi noted at the Presidential Palace after attending the opening of the 2022 National Coordination Meeting on Inflation Control here on Thursday.
"One important aspect is the participation of local governments to provide subsidies to the community due to several inefficiencies that occur in the regions," he pointed out.
According to Sumadi, some aircraft occupancies are not even up to 50 percent that had resulted in airlines neutralizing or adjusting prices.
"If there are subsidies, they help market (airplane tickets), and then occupancy increases. Thus, prices can be maintained. The price is directly proportional to occupancy, (but) there are many regions where the occupancy is low, and this must be managed," the minister explained.
Even so, he admitted that the rise in prices of aviation turbine fuel (avtur) also increased airfares.
Hence, Sumadi spoke of having communicated with the local government regarding the subsidies.
"There had been (communication), and today, with the president's order, we will intensify it," he said.
During the 2022 National Coordination Meeting on Inflation Control, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) acknowledged having received several complaints about the high price of airfares.
Earlier, the Transportation Ministry had allowed airlines to hike the price of airfares in accordance with the implementation of the ministerial policy KM No. 142 of 2022 concerning the amount of surcharge caused by fluctuations in fuel surcharge. (Antaranews)
August
Indonesians in Japan should revive stronger : Ambassador
Written by Nur Yasmin
Indonesian Ambassador to Japan and Federated States of Micronesia Heri Akhmadi urged Indonesians in Japan to revive stronger in facing the pandemic and crisis in the commemoration of Indonesia's 77th Independence Day Anniversary (HUT RI).
"We,who are abroad, certainly have the duty to help the country recover both economically and from COVID-19. Recover faster and revive stronger," he noted at the Indonesia Center, Tokyo Republic of Indonesia School, here, Wednesday.
In his remark during Indonesia's 77th Independence Day Anniversary celebrations, he urged that the recovery should not only reach that before the pandemic but should in fact be far stronger and developed.
"This becomes our collective determination," her remarked.
During the momentum of Indonesia's 77th Independence Day Anniversary, Akhmadi expects that the great figure can be a good beginning for Indonesians' struggle throughout this time.
“Some 77 years ago, we strove to liberate ourselves from invaders. Some 77 years later, we have to work hard to help our nation break free from the pandemic and the extraordinary world economic crisis,” he affirmed.
Akhmadi highlighted that August 17, some 77 years ago coincided with the month of Ramadhan that is also a month of struggle.
“We should grasp the (true) meaning (and essence) of the struggle because during the independence period, the struggle was very difficult," he remarked.
Indonesian gained its independence about two days after the declaration of Japan's surrender to the Allies during World War II.
To fill the power vacuum, the nation's father Soekarno seized the opportunity to proclaim Indonesia's independence.
"Hence, Indonesia's independence is not Japan's gift. Japan already surrendered. It is not possible for people, who have surrendered, to give independence to Indonesia. Indonesia's independence is the result of our struggle," he noted.
In addition, the youth during that period played an important role owing to their planned abduction of Soekarno, with the intent of coercing him into conceding to declare independence.
However, the struggle does not end there. Indonesia's independence was only acknowledged by the Netherlands four years later after the Allies won the World War II.
Within that time period, major battles erupted, such as the battle in Surabaya that is commemorated as Heroes Day every November 10.
"Independence is something that is fought for, not just received," Akhmadi remarked.
"All of this is an effort to build the nation's awareness that Indonesia is built not based on ethnicity, but on common struggle to fight for Indonesia," he affirmed.
To this end, Indonesia, as a country with the largest number of ethnicities reaching 200 and 400 regional languages, should remain united under the slogan of Bhineka Tunggal Ika, or Unity in Diversity.
The ambassador also noted that this slogan is important during the commemoration today and for other national events. (Antaranews)
August
National relics transported by golden coach to Merdeka Palace
Written by Nur Yasmin
The duplicate of the heirloom red-and-white flag and the original independence proclamation text were transported to Merdeka Palace in a procession to commemorate the 77th anniversary of Indonesia's Independence Day.
The national relics were carried by the Purna Paskibraka team aboard the Ki Jagaraksa horse-drawn golden coach from the National Monument to the Merdeka Palace, as observed from the Presidential Secretariat YouTube channel, Wednesday.
Kiara Maharani Putri of the Senior High School 1 of Garut, West Java, and Iren Odelias Astono of the Santo Ignasius Senior High School in Singkawang, West Kalimantan, each carried the heirloom flag and the independence proclamation text.
The coach was drawn by six horses and flanked by 14 horses, seven on each side, signifying the 77th year of Indonesia's independence.
A cultural carnival showcasing traditional attires from Indonesian regions and a marching band comprising cadets of military and police academies accompanied the golden coach's short trip to the Merdeka Palace.
Some 170 cadets from the military, navy, air force, and police academies partook in the cultural carnival.
This year's cultural carnival and display of national relics on Independence Day was the first since the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
The Presidential Secretariat had earlier received the original proclamation text from the National Archives of Indonesia (ANRI) on Tuesday (August 16).
"This is the third year of the Presidential Secretariat's cooperation with ANRI to present and display the original proclamation text with the heirloom flag at Merdeka Palace during the Indonesian Independence commemoration ceremony in 2022," Presidential Secretariat's Administration Bureau Head, Sony Kartiko, stated on Tuesday.
The original proclamation text will be on display along with the red-and-white heirloom flag on Independence Day and will be returned to the National Archives on Thursday (August 18), he noted. (Antaranews)
August
Independence day momentum to accelerate transportation recovery: govt
Written by Nur Yasmin
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi invited all parties in the transportation sector to use the 77th Independence Day anniversary of Indonesia (HUT RI) as a momentum to get the sector to recover faster and rise stronger.
"Let us use the big theme of Indonesia's Independence Day anniversary this year with optimism to synergize and collaborate in efforts to accelerate the recovery in the transportation sector and rise stronger for the progress of Indonesia," he said.
In the 77th year of Indonesia's independence, there are several challenges that the country must face, including the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine that have triggered food, energy, and economic crises globally, Sumadi noted.
"We should be grateful that Indonesia is a country that can face these global crises," he said while leading the ceremony for Indonesia's 77th Independence Day anniversary commemoration at the Transportation Ministry Office here on Wednesday.
Furthermore, the minister said, building transportation infrastructure and services is not an easy job, especially because Indonesia is an archipelagic country and given the current unfavorable global economic conditions.
Taking note of the limited budget, he invited all stakeholders in the transportation sector, including state-owned enterprises (SOEs), the private sector, associations, academics, and other relevant parties, to collaborate in developing connectivity up to remote areas.
In order to recover faster, innovation, creativity, and improvement in the quality of human resources to make them reliable, tough, and service-oriented are needed, he pointed out.
He also addressed the need to seek new funding sources given the limited budget through creative financing with the help of Government and Business Entity Cooperation (KPBU) schemes, including strengthening the role of SOEs, public service agencies, investment management institutions, and special mission vehicles (SMV), as well as possible foreign funding sources.
Amid the challenging situation, the transportation sector has shown recovery and revival.
According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data, the transportation sector managed to grow 21.27 percent in the second quarter of 2022 compared to the year-ago period.
"However, we still have to anticipate the contribution of the transportation sector to the national inflation rate, which is quite high compared to other sectors," Minister Sumadi remarked. (Antaranews)
August
Not all tourist attractions to increase entry fee, assures Uno
Written by Nur Yasmin
Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno has assured that not all tourist attractions will increase their entry fee to maintain the quality and sustainability aspects.
He made the statement in relation to an earlier plan for increasing the entry fee for Borobudur Temple and Komodo National Park, which was aimed at limiting the number of visitors to support the conservation of the two tourist attractions.
"But the hope is it does not mean the entry fee for all (tourist attractions) will be increased, but instead, there must be a study of what the (right) restrictions are and how we can also provide better services to tourists," Uno said at his weekly press briefing, which was followed online from here on Monday.
The government is currently promoting quality and sustainability-based tourism, he added.
"Which means, all tourist attractions must have these two aspects," he said.
According to him, the quality and sustainability aspects of tourist attractions are the main focus of the government in its efforts to support conservation and economy in the tourism sector.
He also invited all tourist attraction managers to support quality and sustainability-based tourism.
In June, the government had announced an increase in the price of admission to Borobudur Temple's stupa area, namely Rp750 thousand for Indonesian citizens and US$100 for foreign tourists, in order to limit the number of tourists entering to only 1,200 per day.
The plan was protested by many parties up to the point that it was finally shelved.
A month later, the provincial government of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) announced that it would impose a new entry ticket fee of Rp3.75 million for Komodo National Park. The plan was also protested by tourism players in Labuan Bajo.
Then, finally, last week, the NTT government decided to postpone the entry fee increase until 2023. (Antaranews)
August
SKK Migas discovers hydrocarbon fields in West Papua
Written by Nur Yasmin
This article was published in thejakartapost.com with the title "Indonesia again misses oil, gas production targets: SKK Migas". Click to read: https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2022/07/19/govt-again-misses-oil-gas-production-targets-skk-migas.html.
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The Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Task Force (SKK Migas) has announced the discovery of hydrocarbons in the form of gas while drilling in the Markisa (MKS)-001 exploration well in West Papua.
The hydrocarbon gas source was discovered by Pertamina Hulu Energi Regional IV in Pertamina EP's working area, Papua Field, Aimas District, West Papua Province, Deputy of Planning for SKK Migas Benny Lubiantara informed.
"The successful discovery of hydrocarbons in an area rich in natural resources in West Papua, including oil and gas, will encourage more massive and aggressive exploration activities in the future," Lubiantara said in a statement issued here on Monday.
The drilling of exploration well MKS-001 was the main objective in the Kais Formation Carbonate Rock. The drilling of MKS-001 began at 6 a.m. local time on June 21, 2022, and a final depth of 2,048 mMD was reached at 8 p.m. local time on July 28.
Exploration well MKS-001was drilled with a vertical profile using the PDSI#28.2/D1000-E rig, he said.
According to him, drilling poses a challenge in remote areas because of the time it takes to mobilize drilling equipment and materials by sea and the type of shale formation indicated by high tectonic stress. Hence, it requires precise and accurate drilling planning and operations, he added.
The dry hole base work was completed without any non-productive time, both from supporting service equipment and materials as well as from the operational side. This was one of the achievements at the well, he said.
After conducting a series of evaluations of the formation properties using e-line logging tools, Pertamina then proposed two Drill Stem Test (DST) intervals in the Kais Formation, DST#1: 2012 - 2020 mMD and DST#2: 1932 - 1942.5 mMD.
Currently, DST#1 (2012-2020 mMD) is being carried out on the limestone reef layer of the Kais Formation, the clean-up period with a 44/64 inch choke gets a gas rate of 9.7 MMSCFD and a condensate rate of 219 BCPD.
As of August 13, 2022, exploration well MKS-001 is conducting a clean-up interval of DST#1.
Lubiantara revealed that the success of drilling exploration well MKS-001 will add to the success of drilling exploration wells in 2022, with the success ratio higher than the achievement in 2021 or compared to the average success of drilling exploration wells in the world.
As of the first half of 2022, the success ratio for drilling exploration wells has reached 75 percent. This figure is higher than the previous year's success ratio of 55 percent and outperforms the global success ratio of 23.8 percent in 2021.
"With the success of the MKS-001 well, the success ratio for drilling exploration wells in 2022 will be even higher," Lubiantara said.
He further said that the high success ratio of exploration well drilling will strengthen confidence to achieve the targets of one million barrels of oil (BOPD) and 12 billion cubic feet of gas (BSCFD) by 2023.
“Hopefully, this success can encourage increased investment in the upstream oil and gas sector given the high success rate of hydrocarbon discoveries," he remarked. (Antaranews)
August
Jokowi inaugurates Flag-Raising Troop for Independence Day ceremony
Written by Nur Yasmin
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) on Monday inaugurated the complete formation of the Flag-Raising Troop (Paskibraka) for the flag-raising and flag-lowering ceremonies at the Presidential Palace on August 17, 2022.
The Flag-Raising Troop comprises 68 male and female high school students from Indonesian provinces, who were selected through a strict and rigorous process.
"By asking the blessing from the Almighty God, today, I officiate all of you as the Flag-Raising Troop that will perform the duty at the Merdeka Palace on August 17, 2022. May the Almighty God bless you," Widodo said during the Flag-Raising Troop’s inauguration ceremony, as observed on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube channel on Monday.
During the ceremony, head of the Pancasila Ideology Education Agency (BPIP), Yudian Wahyudi, read the Paskibraka oath, with all inducted personnel repeating the oath.
According to Presidential Regulation No. 13 of 2021 on nurturing Pancasila ideology in the young generation through the flag-raising troop education program, the young Paskibraka personnel will receive Pancasila ideology education from BPIP.
After the inauguration ceremony, the President and Vice President Ma’ruf Amin greeted all personnel of the Paskibraka.
Earlier, head of the Presidential Secretariat, Heru Budi Hartono, informed that members of the Flag-Raising Troop will be arranged in the 17-8-45 formation during the 77th Independence Day ceremony this year.
"We will (do) the 17-8-45 (formation of) troops. During practice (they will) wear masks, and on (ceremony) day wear masks," Hartono said at the Presidential Palace complex on Friday (August 12).
This year marks the first time the Independence Day ceremony will be conducted at the Presidential Palace with the general public in attendance since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
During the ceremony, the Presidential Palace will impose strict health protocols, Hartono added. (Antaranews)
August
Indonesia receives IRRI's award for reaching rice self-sufficiency
Written by Nur Yasmin
Indonesia has received an award from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) for its achievement in reaching rice self-sufficiency and for improving its food security system.
Indonesia's achievement is a major step to create a national food security, especially amid the current global geopolitical condition, IRRI's Director General Jean Balie noted while bestowing the award at State Palace here Sunday.
IRRI is committed to cooperating n the long term to bolster the food security system in Indonesia.
Balie bestowed the placard to President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) as a form of acknowledgement and thanks for Indonesia's achievement.
Meanwhile, in his remark, Jokowi informed that, since 2015, Indonesia has built many dams, rain water reservoirs, and irrigation networks.
To this day, the government has managed to inaugurate 29 major dams and the number will increase up to 38 dams by the end of 2022. The government aims to inaugurate 61 dams until 2024.
In addition, the government has also constructed 4,500 reservoirs and 1,1 million irrigation networks over the last seven years.
According to Jokowi, all of these efforts have managed to increase production results in addition to utilization of various superior rice varieties, intensification, as well as extensification.
As a result, from 2019 to 2021, Indonesia consistently managed to produced 31.3 million tonnes of rice per year; and within the last three years, Indonesia has no longer imported rice.
This achievement of rice self-sufficiency is what allows Indonesia to bag the award, he remarked.
Jokowi also thanked Indonesian farmers, regional governments, and Agriculture Ministry for their hard works and their researches.
He emphasized that the cooperation has to be encouraged so that Indonesia can produce rice to meet domestic and overseas demands. (Antaranews)
August
Observers outline electric vehicle challenges including dirty energy
Written by Nur Yasmin
Observers outlined several challenges in implementing electric vehicle ecosystem in Indonesia, including the fact that electric energy still comes from a dirty source, namely coal.
Some 63 percent of electric fuel still comes from coal which makes electric vehicles (EVs) not fully eco-friendly, Head of Transportation Study Institute Darmaningtyas told ANTARA here on Sunday.
As a result, the electric vehicle utilization will only delay pollution considering that coal also produces waste, he added.
In addition, the current price for electric vehicles is still relatively high for the general public, he highlighted.
"If it is economically beneficial, then the people will transition to EVs by themselves," he explained.
"However, since they have not transitioned yet, this means it is not yet interesting or beneficial, both for EV producers and consumers," he remarked.
Despite this, the institute still fully supports electric vehicle ecosystem in Indonesia, especially if the electric fuel comes from renewable energy, such as from microhydro power plant.
Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) also outlined several challenges in electric vehicles, such as preparing adequate human resources in electric-based automotive.
Capable human resources are necessary to prevent accidents and to find potential dangers in the future, Head of KNKT Soerjanto Tjahjono noted.
The people should always be ready for changes, whether in terms of regulation, technology, and system which continue to develop or the existence of new cases that affect aspects such as safety, reliability, economy.
He highlighted a number of potential dangers that should be watched out for such as high DC voltage (600 volt) area and opening or cracking caused by factors including fretting, sharp radius, and aging.
People also need to be wary of short circuit as a result of vehicle vibration or clash. Tropical weather that tends to be humid, hot, and dusty can also disrupt the electronic functions.
Battery-based electric vehicle for road transportation should also be ensured to fulfill safety, security, and health aspects, Tjahjono stressed.
"Only trained personnel are recommended to handle the condition," he remarked.
"Emergency response team should always be on standby while electric vehicles are operating so that evaluation can always be undertaken, specifically concerning dangers, difficulties, as well as existing SOP mitigation and improvement," he said.
To fulfill clean energy for electric vehicles, the total energy and carbon from when the coal is mined until the electricity is produced should be counted to serve as evaluation material, he added.
"All of this should be calculated and recorded. We report Indonesia's carbon status after using EVs. This is also an important part of EV implementation," he said.
(Antaranews)
August
Digital transformation crucial to bolster MSME development: minister
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto has emphasized the importance of digital transformation to bolster the development of micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSME).
"MSME digitalization would bring benefits, to help product marketing during the pandemic, facilitate transaction and financial recording using digital payment platform, and increase access to the market as well as business development training," Hartarto said in a statement here on Sunday.
In this fast development of digital economy, he said digital transformation is a must for MSMEs to improve their efficiency and business development.
In a bid to upgrade the MSMEs and encourage digital technology adoption among them, the government has taken various initiatives and policies, one of them was the Proud of Made In Indonesia Product (BBI) program.
The program is aimed to encourage the MSMEs to sell their products through digital media or e-commerce, he noted.
The government has also encouraged the MSMEs in Indonesia, which 96 percent of them are still considered as informal business, to become formal ones by registering to obtain the Business Identification Number (NIB), the minister added.
With their status as formal businesses, the MSMEs could get easier access to various financing facilities, mentorship, and access to market supply chain.
"Currently, the government is compiling Single Data Base of MSMEs involving stakeholders, including local governments. This data base would be crucial because it would become the basis for the government's policy making," Hartarto said.
During the pandemic, the government has allocated fund for the MSME recovery through the National Economic Recovery Program.
It provided various financing supports such as micro loans (KUR), micro business productive assistance (BPUM), non-KUR interest rate subsidy, and working capital credit guarantee.
In 2022, the government has allocated Rp455.62 trillion of funds for COVID-19 handling and national economic recovery (PC-PEN) program, parts of the funds have been used to support the MSMEs.
"MSMEs are part of strong basic foundations for the nation's economy that can survive during the COVID-19 pandemic," Hartarto stressed.
The number of MSMEs in Indonesia has reached some 60 millions that have 60.51 percent contribution to the GDP, and absorbed 96.9 percent of the national workforce. (Antaranews)