Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Bahlil Lahadalia today, Tuesday (3/9), officially opened the 7th Indonesia China Energy Forum (ICEF) in South Kuta, Bali. Indonesia stated its commitment to maintaining the stability of Chinese investment in the country so that it continues to run well.

"I offer my fellow Chinese investors several potentials that we can develop together. This is the meeting to find the right formulation for joint business development," said Bahlil when opening the event.

The energy sector, continued Bahlil, has a vital role in encouraging economic improvement and technological progress between the two parties. "We are committed to advancing common goals which include sustainable energy development, technological innovation and economic growth," he stressed.

Bahlil mentioned the energy transition as a major breakthrough in realizing global commitments to achieve decarbonization. Indonesia even showed a serious attitude towards these efforts to the Chinese government. "We have developed a comprehensive Net Zero Emissions (NZE) Roadmap in the energy sector," he said.

Regarding this, the Indonesian government offered collaboration opportunities to China. This offer is based on the large potential of New and Renewable Energy (EBT) resources owned by Indonesia, such as the Hydroelectric Power Plant (PLTA) in Kayan (13,000 MW) and Mamberamo, Papua (24,000 MW). "This is a potential that we offer to China to be able to collaborate together. We cannot do this alone," explained Bahlil.

Another aspect that the government will focus on in the future is the existence of downstreaming that is oriented towards green energy and green industry. "The key to implementing this policy is the presence of electricity," added Bahlil.

For this reason, based on the energy transition roadmap, the Indonesian government is implementing a strategy towards becoming carbon neutral from the supply side, such as focusing on solar, hydro, geothermal and hydrogen power plants. Apart from that, other steps taken are the gradual cessation of coal power plants, and the use of low-emission technology, namely CCS/CCUS technology.

Meanwhile, from the demand side, these include the use of battery-based electric motorized vehicles, the use of biofuels, and the application of energy management.

Cultivate a Sense of Comfort

For Indonesia, the ability to achieve NZE by 2060 must still take into account the national context and conditions in each country. For example, Indonesia is still optimizing the development of fossil energy in line with massive progress in developing clean energy infrastructure. "We are currently studying, calculating and calculating domestic (energy) needs with economic geopolitics," said Bahlil.

He believes that the cooperation and programs that have been produced under the bilateral framework between Indonesia and China continue to show significant progress. "There is no need to doubt this togetherness (cooperation). I believe that the first thing in investing is comfort. And Indonesia offers that sense of comfort," stressed Bahlil.

In the future, the partnerships being forged in the energy sector must be mutually beneficial for both parties. "We will open the best possible space for doing business in Indonesia while still paying attention to the rules and must benefit everyone," he explained.

The Indonesian government also expressed its appreciation to the Chinese government for holding this forum. "It is an honor for me to welcome all of you to Bali at the 7th Indonesia-China Energy Forum. I would like to express my appreciation to the Chinese delegation, especially to Administrator Zhang Jianhua for the cooperation in the energy sector that has been touring so far," concluded Bahlil.

The Administrator of China's National Energy Administration (NEA), Zhang Jianhua, also conveyed the same thing. The Chinese government sees bright prospects for bilateral relations. "Indonesia and China in the (energy) development process have the same concept. We discussed strategic partnerships in influencing the international world market," said Zhang.

The transfer of technology and human resources (HR) by China is expected to increase capabilities in managing domestic energy security. "Cooperation in the energy sector is solid cooperation to achieve success in people's welfare," he concluded.

For information, Indonesia - China has a regular biennial bilateral forum, namely the Indonesia-China Energy Forum (ICEF) which is chaired by the Indonesian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources and the Administrator of China's National Energy Administration (NEA). This forum was first held in 2002 and was attended by a number of government officials and Indonesian and Chinese business people.

ICEF meetings have been held six times, with the 6th ICEF being held on 8-9 July 2019 in Beijing. After Indonesia hosted the 7th ICEF meeting this year, NEA China will next host the 8th ICEF in 2025. (SF)

(SOURCE)