Jakarta – Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Indonesia held its PWYP Knowledge Forum (PKF) with the theme “Renewable Energy and the False Solutions for Energy Transition” online on January 15, 2025. This session featured Grita Anindarini, Senior Strategist at the Center for Environmental Law (ICEL), and was moderated by Mouna Wasef from PWYP Indonesia.

Indonesia’s energy mix is still heavily dominated by coal, which accounts for 37% of energy usage. Meanwhile, the contribution of renewable energy in Indonesia stands at just 12.3%. The country is still far from achieving its commitment to Net Zero Emissions (NZE). On the other hand, Indonesia has set ambitious targets for renewable energy, as reflected in Government Regulation No. 79 of 2014 on the National Energy Policy (KEN), which aims for renewable energy to contribute at least 23% of the energy mix by 2025 and at least 31% by 2050. Additionally, Law No. 30 of 2009 on Electricity mandates prioritizing renewable and new energy sources in energy production.

Are New Energy and Renewable Energy the Same?

Grita, who also serves as Chair of the Advisory Board of PWYP Indonesia, explained the distinction between new and renewable energy. Renewable energy comes from natural resources that are continuously replenished, such as wind, water, solar, geothermal, ocean, and bioenergy. On the other hand, new energy refers to recently discovered or developed energy that is not yet widely utilized, such as nuclear energy, coal gasification, coal liquefaction, coal bed methane, and hydrogen.

She emphasized that new energy is not synonymous with renewable energy, as new energy can be derived from fossil fuels and is often not environmentally friendly. In practice, transitioning to new energy does not offer a sustainable solution, as it often leads to higher carbon emissions. For instance, coal gasification emits 800 kg of CO2 per MWh compared to natural gas, which emits only 400 kilograms of CO2 per MWh.

Indonesia’s Energy Transition Focus

Indonesia is actively reducing its reliance on coal-fired power plants (PLTU) to meet its Net Zero Emissions target by 2060. By 2030, 15 coal-fired power plants across Java, Madura, Bali, and Sumatra, with a combined capacity of 4.8 GW, are slated for natural retirement. The focus of the energy transition is expected to shift toward renewable energy development, such as solar and wind power. However, in practice, new energy development has taken center stage in Indonesia’s energy transition efforts, with plans to operationalize nuclear power plants starting in 2040 and expand bioenergy production.

The False Solutions of New Energy

Using new energy in Indonesia’s energy transition often represents a “false solution.” For example, nuclear power, outlined in the 2025–2045 National Long-Term Development Plan (RPJPN) and heavily discussed in the draft New and Renewable Energy Bill (RUU EBET), comes with significant challenges. According to The Conversation article “Nuclear Energy Creates the Most Dangerous Form of Radioactive Waste. Where does Peter Dutton plan to put it?”, nuclear power plants generate high-level radioactive waste, for which no safe and permanent storage solution currently exists.

Similarly, initially planned to utilize agricultural waste and residues, bioenergy has shifted toward large-scale energy crop plantations. Under the Energy Plantation Forest (HTE) scheme, it is estimated that 2.33 million hectares of land will be required to meet the biomass demand of 107 power plants with a combined capacity of 18.8 GW, which amounts to 10.23 million tons of biomass annually.

Moreover, Presidential Regulation No. 14 of 2024 on the Implementation of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) supports extending the use of fossil fuels, such as oil and natural gas, under the guise of emissions reduction.

The Way Forward

Civil society must push for clarity in “new energy” terminology and focus on promoting genuinely renewable energy sources. The use of “new energy” in the energy transition must be carefully scrutinized and avoided to ensure a sustainable and environmentally friendly energy future.


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