VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

An artist's rendering of an ocean-based carbon dioxide removal plant. (Photo: Equatic) - 

Voinews, Singapore - Over the next 18 months, the world’s largest ocean-based carbon dioxide removal plant will be built in Singapore, following a successful pilot of the technology, project backers announced on Tuesday (Feb 27).

The US$20 million (S$26.9 million) full-scale demonstration plant, dubbed the Equatic-1, is a collaboration between Singapore’s national water agency PUB, UCLA and Equatic, a startup founded by UCLA scientists.

Equatic-1, to be co-funded by PUB, the National Research Foundation (NRF), Singapore, and UCLA’s Institute for Carbon Management (ICM), is the result of the successful launch and operation of two pilots in Los Angeles and Singapore in 2023.

When fully completed at PUB’s research and development facility in Tuas, Equatic-1 will be equipped to remove 10 metric tons of carbon dioxide per day from seawater and the atmosphere.

This is more than 100 times the 100kg of carbon dioxide removal per day at Equatic’s existing plant in Singapore.

"The pilot plant commissioned in Singapore in 2023 provided critical performance data to substantiate our carbon dioxide-removal efficiencies, hydrogen-production rates and energy requirements for the process," said Equatic co-founder Dante Simonetti.

"The findings helped define the pathway for the design and engineering of Equatic-1 based on scaling performance confirmed by the pilot system."

The Equatic process, formerly known as Project SeaChange, expands upon the ocean’s natural ability to store carbon dioxide by removing dissolved CO2 and enhancing its capacity to absorb more of the greenhouse gas.

Utilising electrolysis, an electrical current is passed through seawater brought in from the adjacent PUB desalination plants to break down water into its carbon-negative hydrogen and oxygen constituents.

The process allows atmospheric carbon dioxide, as well as CO2 dissolved in seawater, to be trapped in the form of solid calcium and magnesium-based materials for at least 10,000 years. These carbon byproducts could potentially be used in the construction industry for land restoration, cement, or concrete.

"We are pleased to further our collaboration with UCLA and Equatic, to develop a solution that has potential synergies with PUB’s desalination plants," said PUB chief engineering and technology officer Pang Chee Meng.

For PUB, which has set a target to achieve net zero emissions by 2045, the collaboration with UCLA and Equatic is part of Singapore’s broader efforts to source for novel technologies, such as carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), which could contribute to mitigating the impacts of climate change.

"At PUB, we firmly believe that technological advancements, delivered in partnership with academia and the private sector, hold the key to addressing the complex challenges posed by climate change," said Dr Pang.

If Equatic-1 is successful, the technology would allow for the greenhouse gas to be removed and durably stored, while simultaneously producing nearly 300kg of carbon-negative hydrogen daily.

According to the World Bank, the average global annual carbon emissions per capita in 2020 was about 4.3 metric tons.

At full scale, Equatic-1 can remove as much carbon dioxide as what almost 850 people produce annually.

If the plant hits its goals, Equatic plans to commercialise the technology to launch commercial plants that can remove nearly 110,000 metric tones of carbon dioxide per year, equivalent to the amount produced by 25,000 people.

"We are very grateful for the catalytic support of PUB and NRF, which have helped us create a world-class partnership in our joint efforts to mitigate climate change," said Equatic co-founder and ICM director Gaurav N Sant.

"Scaling carbon dioxide removal solutions requires technology, bold and committed partners, and a focus on timely and measurable success. We have been very fortunate to create this shared vision with our partners in Singapore to pilot and scale Equatic’s solutions."

Equatic-1 also utilises newly developed selective anodes from the US Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to produce oxygen while also eliminating the unwanted byproduct of chlorine during seawater electrolysis.

This achieves circularity because it creates hydrogen, a clean source of energy, while simultaneously removing carbon dioxide emissions.

Carbon credits from Equatic-1 are allocated to the project’s partners, and Equatic has entered into agreements with companies such as Boeing for the purchase of carbon credits from future commercial plants//CNA-VOI

Power-generating windmill turbines are seen during sunset at a wind park in Cantaing-sur-Escaut, France, on Nov 9, 2023. (File Photo: Reuters/Pascal Rossignol) - 

Voinews, London - The European Union's wind power target for 2030 is within reach due to a rebound in investment and improved permitting procedures, an industry association report showed on Tuesday (Feb 27).

In an outlook on the sector to 2030, WindEurope forecasts that the EU will install an average of 29 gigawatts (GW) in wind capacity each year, increasing installed capacity to 393 GW. To meet the EU's climate targets, 33 GW a year needs to be installed.

Two-thirds of the installations will be onshore but offshore installations are expected to pick up rapidly towards the end of the decade. Last year, the EU installed a record 16.2 GW of wind energy capacity, 79 per cent of which was onshore.

Permitting procedures for new projects is improving due to new EU rules aimed at streamlining and speeding up the process. Germany and Spain permitted 70 per cent more onshore wind last year than in 2022, while France, Greece, Belgium and Britain also saw higher permitting volumes.

Investments in new capacity also increased last year due to the easing of inflation and other factors such as the European Commission's wind power package in October which set out actions to strengthen and support the industry.

New investment in offshore wind totalled 30 billion euros (US$32.52 billion) last year, up from 0.4 billion euros in 2022, the report said.

"Permitting has improved thanks to new EU rules. Investments are up. Record volumes are being auctioned and built. And governments have committed with the Wind Power Package and Charter to strengthen Europe’s wind energy industry," said WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson.

"Europe’s wind supply chain is returning to profit and building the new factories needed to deliver the EU’s targets. We’re now confident that we can get close to the EU goal that wind is 35 per cent of electricity by 2030, up from 19 per cent today - provided Europe accelerates the build-out of grids to connect all the new wind farms," he added.

The main risk to meeting the 2030 target is delays in connecting wind farms to electricity grids and governments need to focus on accelerating the development of grids, the report said//CNA-VOI

Chair of the Indonesian Ombudsman, Mokhammad Najih (center), received a visit from the Sarawak Integrity and Ombudsman Unit (UNIONS) at his office in Jakarta on Tuesday (February 27, 2024). (ANTARA/HO-Ombudsman RI) -

Voinews, Jakarta (ANTARA) - Chair of the Indonesian Ombudsman, Mokhammad Najih, has said that it will boost cooperation in the Southeast Asian region to share experiences with other institutions to expand the functions and tasks of the ombudsman.

He made the statement as Malaysia's Sarawak Integrity and Ombudsman Unit (UNIONS) paid a visit to the office of the Indonesian Ombudsman in Jakarta on Tuesday. He emphasized that the visit would play an important role in expanding the scope of regional cooperation.

“Ahead of its 25th anniversary in 2025, the Indonesian Ombudsman wants to expand cooperation in the Southeast Asian region,” he said, according to an official statement released by the Indonesian Ombudsman here on Tuesday.

The delegation of UNIONS, led by Dato' Murshid Diraja Dr. Juanda Jaya, who is also deputy minister in the Premier’s Department of Sarawak (Integrity and Ombudsman), paid a visit to the office of the Indonesian Ombudsman to carry out benchmarking.

In his remarks, Najih welcomed the delegation and gave a brief description of the Indonesian Ombudsman, including its tasks, functions, background, and organizational structure.

“Hopefully, this visit can create good relations going forward between these two institutions,” he said.

Jaya informed that UNIONS sought a deeper understanding of how the Indonesian Ombudsman plays a role in fighting negative situations, especially in relation to public services. The Indonesian Ombudsman has been deemed abenchmark since Indonesia and the Kingdom of Sarawak have similar backgrounds and social conditions, he said.

Another purpose of the UNIONS’ visit was to study and understand the organizational structure and governance of the Ombudsman in Indonesia, according to him. Jaya expressed his appreciation to Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Timor Leste for creating the Southeast Asian Ombudsman Forum (SEAOF). He also said that the Kingdom of Sarawak wants to join the forum and get involved in existing programs//ANTARA-VOI

Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi speaking at the High-Level Segment of the Conference on Disarmament (CD) in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday (February 26, 2024). (ANTARA/HO-akun X @Menlu_RI) - 

Voinews, Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia, as president of the Conference on Disarmament (CD), highlighted the need to strengthen the commitment to global disarmament at the High-Level Segment of the CD in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday (February 26).

At the conference, Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi urged countries possessing nuclear weapons to fulfill their obligations, including those stipulated in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

"I conveyed that Indonesia has ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and is ready to push for its universalization," she noted in a written statement from her ministry.

Marsudi explained that Indonesia, along with ASEAN countries, continues to push for the prompt signing of the Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone (SEANWFZ) protocol by permanent members of the UN Security Council.

In the forum, the minister also encouraged countries to make progress in disarmament, both on the procedural and substantive sides.

"The main focus should be on issues that have reached an agreement, such as Negative Security Assurances that are legally binding and the fossil material cut-off treaty," she remarked.

Furthermore, she highlighted the need for cooperation in responding to new challenges in security.

She opined that the CD must be adaptive and responsive to the changing security landscape, including the emergence of new technologies in the weapons systems and modern warfare, as well as realizing a treaty to prevent an arms race in outer space.

"At the end of my statement, I expressed my condemnation against the discourse on Israel's use of nuclear weapons to threaten the people of Gaza. I also urged a halt to arms shipments to Israel to prevent further loss of life," she remarked.

She expressed regret over the failure to reach an agreement on Palestine's application to become an observer in the conference.

The CD, which comprises 65 member states including the permanent members of the UN Security Council, is a multilateral negotiation forum that discusses disarmament efforts.

At the meeting, chaired by the Permanent Representative of Indonesia to the UN in Geneva Febrian A. Ruddyard, Marsudi also emphasized the importance of overcoming the deadlock currently faced by the conference.

"As the president, Indonesia is committed to encouraging transparency, balance, and constructive dialogues," she affirmed//ANTARA-VOI