The coal sector is the largest contributor to carbon emissions in Indonesia. This is revealed in a research report titled “Improving Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Transparency in the Indonesian Coal Sector through the 2023 EITI Standard” launched by Publish What You Pay Indonesia (PWYP).
The research launch was held in Central Jakarta, on Thursday (12/3), which was combined with a discussion with a number of stakeholders, starting from representatives of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, the Ministry of Environment, the Indonesian Coal Entrepreneurs Association (APBI), and the research institute Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
Representing the writing team, Astrid Meliala, a senior researcher at the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL), stated that the global energy sector accounts for approximately 75 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. The largest sources of emissions come from power and heat generation, followed by transportation and manufacturing.
At the national level, coal remains the primary source of carbon emissions in the energy sector.
“In the downstream sector, Indonesia’s energy sector contributes 43 percent of total national emissions and is heavily dependent on coal. Around 51 percent of CO2 emissions come from combustion at coal-fired power plants,” he said.
In addition to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, coal production increases methane (CH4) emissions. Based on the research, methane emissions from coal mining activities in 2024 are estimated to be eight times greater than official government data.
Greenhouse gas emissions directly impact climate change. Therefore, transparency in emissions data is considered crucial to driving emissions-reduction efforts in the energy sector.
“Transparency and emissions reporting serve as public oversight instruments for the climate impacts of mining activities. This also has direct implications for achieving national climate targets,” explained Astrid.
PWYP Indonesia researcher Muhammad Adzkia Farirahman added that the transparency of greenhouse gas emissions in the coal sector still faces several challenges. One of them is the lack of an integrated reporting system within the mining industry’s business processes.
According to him, the obligation to report emissions should be included in the approval mechanism for mining companies’ annual Work Plan and Budget (RKAB).
“In fact, this mechanism could provide a space for the government to provide guidance and encourage more systematic disclosure of emissions information,” he said.
He assessed that the government has various regulations on the transparency of emissions data, ranging from Law Number 14 of 2008 concerning Public Information Disclosure to sectoral regulations on energy and carbon emissions.
However, the public still has difficulty accessing this emissions data directly. In fact, several disputes regarding emissions data are still ongoing legal proceedings.
Meanwhile, Budiharto, a representative of the Directorate of GHG Inventory and Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification at the Ministry of Environment, acknowledged that emissions reporting by business actors has not been running optimally, even though it is regulated.
He said the government is currently working to improve the greenhouse gas emissions reporting system.
“In reality, emissions reporting by business actors has not met expectations. The findings of this research can provide input for future system improvements,” he said.
On the other hand, the government, through the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, is also preparing to implement an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions in the electricity and mining sectors.
Surya Herjuna, Director of Coal Business Development at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, said that this year the government will conduct trials and hold public consultations to assess the readiness to implement an emissions inventory in the sector.
Katherine Hasan, an analyst at the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air, emphasized the importance of transparent emissions data to encourage accountability and accelerate the energy transition.
According to him, real-time transparency of emissions data can be a crucial factor in attracting green investment and supporting the achievement of Indonesia’s greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. (kpg/rdh)
Source: Kaltim Post