Divya Karyza

Energy, commodities and agriculture journalist at The Jakarta Post.

The Jakarta Post •

Licensing, land acquisition issues hold back hydropower development

Hydroelectric power was once slated to spearhead Indonesia’s transition to renewable energy, but despite the abundant potential, industry players are reluctant to invest because of what analysts see as excessive bureaucratic hurdles.

The government’s 2021-2030 long-term electricity procurement plan (RUPTL) envisions hydroelectric power delivering the largest chunk of renewable energy at 15.56 gigawatts (GW) or 15 percent of nationwide electricity generation capacity by 2030, followed by geother
The Jakarta Post •

Coal miners face financing squeeze as more banks pledge to ‘go green’

Coal power and mining firms in Indonesia are finding it tougher to raise funds due to climate-crisis concerns and are being increasingly pushed by banks to present concrete-transition plans to shift away from dirty energy.

To date, over 100 globally significant asset managers and owners with assets under management (AUM) greater than US$50 billion, as well as banks and insurers with AUM or loans outstanding larger than $10 billion, have announced their divestment from coal mining and/or coal-fi
The Jakarta Post •

Nuclear power has no place in renewables bill: Activists

Activists are urging regulators to exclude nuclear energy development from the new and renewable energy (NRE) bill, arguing it would hinder Indonesia’s transition to green energy.

"We urge House of Representatives Commission VII to remove all mention of nonrenewable energy in the new and renewables category of the bill," the cofounder of renewables advocacy group Adidaya Initiative, Aji Said Iqbal Fajri, said in an open letter dated May 19, referring to the House commission that oversees energy
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Massive speedup in construction only way to meet green power target: Experts

New rules on the pricing of green power are meant to boost investment in renewable energy, but experts say this critically hinges on the government being on track with its energy-infrastructure procurement and construction targets.

Presidential Regulation No. 112/2022 on the acceleration of renewable energy development for electricity supply, in effect since Sept. 13, eliminates feed-in tariffs from the renewable energy-pricing mechanism, prohibits the construction of new coal-fired power plant
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Experts remain doubtful about Indonesia’s planned carbon-capture regulation

The government is preparing a regulation draft on carbon capture storage (CCS) and carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) as the country seeks to push its adoption to reduce carbon emissions from hard-to-abate industries, but whether this will be effective depends largely on a working financing mechanism.

Alloysius Joko Purwanto, an energy economist at the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), said that the success of CCS/CCUS would need careful examination of the c
The Jakarta Post •

New rule on renewables pricing paves way for ‘greener’ EVs, NRE investment

The government aims to jumpstart stalled renewable energy projects through a recently issued regulation, which pushes the establishment of large-scale renewable energy plants, making the utilization of electric vehicles (EVs) greener as they will eventually use electricity from eco-friendly sources.

Presidential Regulation No. 112/2022 concerning the acceleration of renewable energy development for electricity supply, in effect since Sept. 13, eliminates feed-in-tariffs in the renewable energy
The Jakarta Post •

Explainer: How Indonesian government ‘subsidizes’ unsubsidized fuel

The government recently increased fuel prices to prevent an excessive burden on the state budget from subsidies aimed at keeping domestic fuel prices low despite high oil prices. However, some may wonder why even supposedly unsubsidized gasoline in Indonesia is still priced far below global standards. And it has a lot to do with definitions.

Earlier this month, the government decided in the face of ballooning energy subsidies to increase the price of fuels, including the unsubsidized Pertamax g
The Jakarta Post •

Firms in Indonesia struggle to go green in energy use

Green energy infrastructure in Indonesia will not grow significantly unless the government creates an enabling environment, experts say, and until that happens, firms will struggle to achieve a low carbon footprint in the country.

According to RE100, a movement initiated by United States-based NGO The Climate Group, a growing number of multinational companies worldwide are committed to consuming 100 percent renewable electricity.

In 2019, 5 percent of RE100 companies had operations in Indonesi
The Jakarta Post •

Coal far from ‘dead’: prices to remain high, IPO still lucrative

The coal-mining sector will likely still be one of Indonesia’s key-growth drivers in years to come, despite the country’s steady shift to renewable energy, as the “black gold” commodity prices are poised to remain elevated due to robust demand and persistent supply disruptions.

Furthermore, high coal prices have led to a positive prospect for companies who are set to launch initial public offerings (IPO) in the second half of this year, such as PT Black Diamond Resources, which began offering i
The Jakarta Post •

Fertilizer shortage may put wheat prices in jeopardy

Wheat prices are expected to decline in the coming months as exporting countries enter harvesting season, but the Indonesian Flour Mills Association (Aptindo) says the longer-term trend will also depend on fertilizer prices.

After consecutive months of decade-high wheat prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the grain recently saw a sharp drop in futures prices.

Chicago wheat futures retreated to below US$7.50 per bushel in mid-August, the lowest since January, amid strong supplies fro