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.
State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir estimates that Indonesia will become the fourth-strongest economy in 2045 on account of its growth rate improving with each passing year.
"2045 is our maximum point. With continuous growth, we will become the fourth-largest country on earth," Minister Thohir remarked while visiting Vihara Dharma Bhakti to celebrate Chinese New Year here on Tuesday.
However, the minister pointed to several things that should be overcome if Indonesia has to be at par with other strong economic countries.
Thohir emphasized the need for harmony and unity between people and races among community groups, so that the foundation of the country for progress grows stronger.
The minister also highlighted the struggle of the heroes, who made Indonesia an independent country by relying on unity and integrity.
"It is in line with our 'founding father', Soekarno and Hatta, who proved that Bhineka Tunggal Ika, Pancasila, NKRI (the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia) are a force," Thohir stated.
Thohir is optimistic that the Lunar New Year would further strengthen harmony between ethnic groups and religious communities, so that Indonesia will avoid potential divisions that could further worsen the economy.
Minister Thohir visited Vihara Dharma Bhakti in the Taman Sari area of West Jakarta while greeting residents.
He wore a red batik shirt and arrived at around 8 a.m. local time along with a convoy of guards from the police.
The minister, upon arrival, was immediately greeted by Chairman of the Vihara Dharma Bhakti Management, Shirley Wijaya and Jusuf Hamka.
Apart from the two people, the minister was also welcomed by residents engaged in the Chinese New Year worship in the temple. (Antaranews)
Coordinator of Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM) Java-Bali and Coordinating Maritime and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan affirmed that the daily mortality of COVID-19 patients in Java-Bali had increased in line with the regional case spike.
"The number of daily deaths in Java and Bali had increased, chiefly in Jakarta Province, while other areas in Java and Bali are still at a fairly low state," Pandjaitan noted in a press statement after the evaluation of PPKM here, Monday.
Based on data, out of the 27 patients that experienced moderate to severe symptoms, 59 percent of them had comorbidities, 30 percent were elderly, and 63 percent had not been fully vaccinated.
"Those who have not been fully vaccinated are prone to this Omicron variant. You have to be responsible for your own self," he remarked.
To this end, the government continues to remind people to immediately complete vaccinations by visiting vaccination outlets readied by the government.
Pandjaitan remarked that although the number of COVID-19 cases in Java-Bali had continued to increase, there was a decline in the daily case growth in the last seven days.
"This is also like an anomaly. We will continue to observe its development in the next week," he added.
Pandjaitan remarked that Jakarta Province currently had the highest number of confirmed cases. However, in the last few days, confirmed cases had also been detected and increased significantly in other provinces in Java and Bali.
The Deputy Chair of the Committee for COVID-19 Handling and National Economic Recovery (KPC PEN) also stated that the positivity rate was already above the WHO standard of five percent since the positivity rate for the PCR Test had reached 24 percent.
"The number of people tested daily has also increased quite significantly as compared to some time ago," he noted.
The government also continues to urge the public to immediately conduct an antigen or PCR examination if they experience flu and cough symptoms to suppress the spread of COVID-19. (Antaranews)
Indonesia must optimize its strategic position during G20 meetings to champion national interests in the labor sector that can positively impact the global economy, an official from the Ministry of Manpower has said.
"Indonesia's G20 Presidency is a great momentum for Indonesia to recover the declining economy due to the COVID-19 pandemic by improving the labor sector through expediting vaccination efforts and restoring confidence among the global public to recover together and restore the global economy," the ministry's Secretary General Anwar Sanusi said in a statement received in Jakarta on Monday.
Speaking at the Labour 20 (L20) kick-off meeting today, Sanusi said that the G20 Presidency is an honor for Indonesia and a chance to lead the way in conceiving solutions and offering concrete initiatives that encourage global-scale recovery in the labor sector amid the pandemic.
Deliberations on global issues during Indonesia's Presidency are expected to enhance sectoral recovery that would benefit Indonesia and the global community, he remarked.
The secretary-general reiterated the ministry's commitment to actively participating in L20 meetings by providing feasible and beneficial inputs to enhance global policies in the labor sector.
The collaboration among major economies is also expected to provide a greater breakthrough for global economic recovery, Sanusi said.
Breakthroughs in job creation, addressing changes in the labor market, and creating an inclusive labor market for people with disabilities must be the current priority, he added.
The secretary general expressed the hope that collaboration would provide more protection to workers in adjusting to the ever-changing labor sector.
"We hope the L20 community will provide concrete offers and inputs at the G20 meetings," Sanusi remarked. (Antaranews)
State-owned trading company PT Perusahaan Perdagangan Indonesia (PPI) has shipped six containers of coffee, the first batch of a total three thousand tons of export to Egypt.
The commodity was supplied by farmers in the provinces of Lampung, Jambi, Bengkulu, and South Sumatra, President Director of PT PPI Nina Sulistyowati said at the launching in Lampung, Sunday.
"This is our maiden export in 2022, we will send six containers (of coffee) to Egypt," Sulistyowati said.
The company has signed a contract to export three thousand tons of coffee to Egypt in 2022, that will be delivered in stages from January to December.
PT PPI would expand its export destination to other countries.
Meanwhile, President Director PT Rajawali Nusantara Indonesia (RNI) Arief Prasetyo Adi said the government has established ID Food, a state-owned food holding.
"In its downstream sector or trade and logistic, we have PT PPI. It will coordinate all issues regarding to downstreaming of logistic, warehouse, distribution and trade," Adi said.
PT Rajawali Nusantara Indonesia (RNI) is the holding company for state-owned food enterprises based on the Government Regulation Number 118 of 2021, signed in 2021 end.
State Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir has officially launched the coffee export in the company of PT PPI's President Director Nina Sulistyowati, and PT RNI's President Director Arief Prasetyo Adi. (Antaranews)
State-owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir has likened SOEs as a large aircraft carrier which unites all parties to establish an economic balance.
"SOEs are one third of Indonesia's economic strength. However, they cannot become an ivory tower that is attractive, but difficult to be held. Thus, currently, they become a huge aircraft carrier which accommodate all parties to build economic balance," he said.
Speaking at the Launching of Project Management Office (PMO) Kopi Nusantara in Bandar Lampung City, Lampung Province, on Sunday, he continued that SOEs support business growth for all parties.
However, the enterprises must also ensure the welfare of Indonesian people since they are state-run companies which have their own corporate social responsibility, Thohir said.
Hence, the corporations strive to build various people-centered ecosystems, such as the existing Prosperity Program which provides an ecosystem that connects farmers with project leaders, insurance providers, financial institutions, agricultural technology providers, off-takers, and local governments.
The ministry wants the farmers to become more prosperous through the program.
"I assure that SOEs have changed since we have committed to collaborating with all parties," the minister emphasized.
Earlier, he said that the state-run companies are striving to become a locomotive in building national economic resilience, and are not to compete with the private sector.
He has noted that it is impossible for any party to stand alone amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, all of them must work together since the pandemic does not only suppress the health sector, but also the economic sector.
Thus, he has stated that the pandemic must be a revival momentum for Indonesia. The nation has experienced a number of crises and always been able to rise afterward.
At the same occasion, Thohir also dispatched the first exports of Lampung coffee in 2022 by symbolically locked the key of the coffee container.
Meanwhile, the PMO Kopi Nusantara is a pilot project of the establishment of coffee ecosystem from the upstream to the downstream sectors. (Antaranews)
The Indonesian Government would prioritize the use of AstraZeneca vaccine as booster dose in the first quarter of 2022, an official of the Health Ministry said.
"For the first quarter of 2022, booster vaccine allocation will prioritize AstraZeneca vaccine considering its ample supply," the ministry's spokesperson for COVID-19 vaccination, Siti Nadia Tarmidzi, said here on Sunday.
AstraZeneca vaccine can be administered with an interval of eight weeks after the full-dose primary vaccination.
The booster vaccination could be conducted simultaneously in all districts/cities regardless the achievement of 70 percent vaccination target and 60 percent of first dose vaccination for the elderly.
Those who will receive the booster vaccine are required to show their identity card numbers or PeduliLindungi application, 18 years old or above, already have full-dose primary vaccination at least six months before the booster vaccination.
People who received Sinovac as primary vaccine would get half dose of AstraZeneca (0.25 ml) or half dose of Pfizer (0.15 ml) as booster vaccine while those who received AstraZeneca as primary vaccine would get half dose of Moderna (0.25 ml), half dose of Pfizer (0.15 ml), or full dose of AstraZeneca (0.5 ml) as booster vaccine.
"These (vaccine cocktail) has been studied by health experts such as the Indonesian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ITAGI), the Drug and Food Monitoring Agency (BPOM) as well as academics," she said.
A study found that a third booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine made by AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, or Johnson & Johnson increases antibody levels significantly in those who have previously received two doses of Sinovac shot. (Antaranews)
Illustration : a Farmer in paddy field -
President Joko Widodo has urged farmers to penetrate the post-harvest sector in order to take advantage of the added value of the agricultural sector.
He delivered his statement during a virtual event broadcast from the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java, on Saturday.
By getting involved in the post-harvest sector, farmers can also take part in the downstream activities of agricultural commodities, he said. This is also part of Indonesia's structural transformation, which includes a natural resource downstreaming program, he added.
“We have to conduct this downstreaming in all sectors. Farmers must be strong in farm (cultivation). So, innovation in agriculture and animal husbandry must be expedited. But don't stop there," Widodo remarked.
Downstreaming should be implemented in every sector that utilizes Indonesia's natural resources, he said.
He stressed his commitment to ceasing the exports of raw materials, such as bauxite, copper, tin, and gold, in the next few years.
The government banned the export of nickel ore starting January 1, 2020, based on the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministerial Regulation Number 11 of 2019, he noted. Several years prior, the government had also extensively implemented a nickel downstreaming program, Widodo said.
"Not only nickel('s export) I stop. This year we may stop (exporting) bauxite, next year copper, next year tin, next year gold. There is no such thing as exporting raw materials anymore," he remarked.
Steel, as one of the nickel derivative products, could generate exports of up to US$20.9 billion, a significant increase compared to 2014, when the exports of steel were valued at just US$1.1 billion, he pointed out.
"In 2022, I think we can achieve nickel-specific exports, which can reach US$28–30 billion, that is around Rp420 trillion. That's an estimate," he informed.
Apart from downstreaming, there are several agendas for Indonesia's structural transformation, including digital economic transformation, energy transition, and the development of the national capital in Kalimantan, he said//ANT
A screenshot of President Joko Widodo on Saturday (January 29, 2022). He said has the government is working hard to oversee a major transformation in Indonesia that will enable the nation to compete at the global level. (ANTARA/Indra Arief) -
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has said that he is optimistic the Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals Association (ICMI) will find new ways and strategies to face the rapid changes and challenges the world is witnessing currently.
He made the remarks while opening the ICMI's national working meeting virtually from the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java, on Saturday.
"The challenges we are facing, including those that will be faced by ICMI in the future, are increasingly difficult; but ICMI, as a forum of scholars, will always be able to find new ways, new strategies for facing challenges and the fast-changing world today," the President remarked.
The theme of the ICMI's national working meeting is in accordance with the agenda of the nation, namely transformation for finding the right way to deal with the changing times, challenges, and opportunities, he noted.
Change often comes unexpectedly, such as the COVID-19 pandemic that has raged across the world, including in Indonesia, for the last two years, Jokowi said.
“There are many things that are beyond our imagination when we make plans. Uncertainty can come suddenly without us expecting it,” he added.
He further said that he believes that victory can be achieved by the Indonesian people not only thanks to good planning, but also because of the speed of transformation and adaptation to existing challenges and opportunities.
He also emphasized the importance of working efficiently and effectively, as well as utilizing the capabilities of scholars and technology.
He assured that the government is working hard to oversee a major transformation in Indonesia that will enable the nation to compete at the global level, which is getting increasingly hypercompetitive.
“We have to open the widest possible job opportunities, we have to prosper the farmers, fishermen, industrial workers. We must facilitate MSME (micro, small, and medium enterprise) actors to advance to digitalization. We must support domestic products increase. Hence, we must facilitate large, medium, and small investments from within and outside the country," he added.
Indonesia's structural transformation agendas include cessation of raw material exports for the sake of industrial downstreaming, transformation of the digital economy, and the construction of the State Capital (IKN) in East Kalimantan, Jokowi said.
“The capital city development (IKN) program is an important part of that transformation. The IKN program is not just moving buildings, moving the government. Moving the capital is changing the way of working, changing the mindset based on a modern economy, and building a more just and inclusive social life," he remarked//ANT
A screenshot of President Joko Widodo delivering a statement on the development of COVID-19 on Friday (January 28, 2022). (ANTARA/Desca Lidya Natalia) -
President Joko Widodo has asked asymptomatic COVID-19 patients or those with mild symptoms to utilize telemedicine services to ease the burden on hospitals.
"When your PCR test result is positive without experiencing any symptoms, you can conduct self-isolation at home for five days. If you have symptoms such as cough, runny nose, or fever, please use the telemedicine service or go to the community health center or the nearest doctor," he said at the Bogor Presidential Palace on Friday.
According to the President, telemedicine is one method to ease the burden on health facilities.
"This is important so that our health facilities can focus on handling (COVID-19) patients with severe symptoms and patients suffering from other diseases who need intensive care," he explained.
Indonesia is currently witnessing an increase in daily COVID-19 cases, especially of the Omicron variant, he said.
The increase is predicted to continue for several weeks, he noted.
By learning from the surge in Omicron cases that occurred in several countries earlier, the government has made a lot of preparations to deal with the potential surge, President Widodo said.
"Improvement in various health facilities and infrastructure has been adjusted to the character of the Omicron variant, which is different from the previous variant and requires different handling," he noted.
He said that one of the improvements made by the government has been in the provision of telemedicine services.
"Not all Omicron cases need direct (health) services because the symptoms are not dangerous. The most important thing is to minimize (social) contact; this will prevent (COVID-19) transmission from getting wider," he informed.
The President also appealed to the community to remain calm and not panic.
"Always implement health protocols, reduce unnecessary activities. I invite all of you to take care of your health as well as possible to boost immunity," he remarked.
The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Indonesia in March 2020. According to data provided by the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of January 28, 2022, at least 4,319,175 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the country, while 4,131,333 people have recovered and 144,268 people have succumbed to the virus//ANT
Geothermal plants will allow the nation to produce electricity continuously and support solar energy and wind power plants, which can only produce electricity when there is sunlight or when the wind is blowing, according to the National Energy Council (DEN). (ANTARA/HO-PLN) -
The optimal development of geothermal power plants (PLTP) is necessary to support the penetration of solar and wind power plants that produce electricity intermittently, member of the National Energy Council (DEN), Herman Darnel Ibrahim, has said.
"Its maximum development in the future is needed to support the penetration of intermittent power plants such as solar power plants (PLTS) and wind power plants (PLTB), which will then support the energy transition towards net-zero emissions," he explained during a discussion related to the nation's geothermal potential here on Thursday.
Geothermal is a potential natural resource for Indonesia since the country is located in the Ring of Fire, he noted adding, it will potentially allow the nation to produce electricity continuously and support solar energy and wind power plants, which can only produce electricity when there is sunlight or when the wind is blowing.
"The installed capacity of stun magma in Indonesia is recorded at 2,384.9 megawatts (MW) or about 10 percent of the total resources of 24 thousand MW," he noted. This capacity is the second largest in the world after the United States, he pointed out.
"Electricity from geothermal energy is a base load generator that can continuously (generate electricity). So, this is very different from intermittent solar energy or wind energy," said Ibrahim.
The average installed capacity growth of geothermal energy in Indonesia is just 60 MW per year, he said. In comparison, the average growth in installed capacity of geothermal electricity globally is 200 MW per year, he added.
The recently published Electricity Supply Business Plan Fund (RUPTL) of the State Electricity Company (PLN) has set a target of generating 5,474 MW of power from geothermal power plants by 2030, he noted.
"The development of PLTPs is currently still slow due to the price policy, which is considered by the developer to be unattractive. However, if the price is raised, it will be a burden for the government and PLN," explained Ibrahim.
"While national electricity consumption is estimated to reach around 2 thousand TWh in 2050, the maximum role of geothermal power plants is estimated to only meet about 10 percent of the need," he added//ANT