An Expedited Transition to Green Energy

Drastic changes are coming to Indonesia’s energy sector, as the government announces plans to close all coal and fossil fuel-powered plants within 15 years.

“Indonesia is rich in geothermal resources, and we plan to phase out coal-fired and all fossil-fueled power plants within the next 15 years. Our plan includes building over 75 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity during this time,” says Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.

This could set the country up to eventually even meet net zero emissions by 2050, a full decade sooner than previous projections. Experts, however, think Indonesia’s plan may be too drastic, as they operate over 250 coal-fired power plants and take seventh place for the world’s highest level of carbon dioxide emissions at 650 million tons. Indonesia does seem to be fully committed to this transition, with the nation’s electric utility corporation spokesperson Gregorius Adi Trianto explaining that they are “developing a green smart grid to increase wind and solar capacity almost eightfold … by 2040 to enhance our energy security.”