Defara Dhanya, Jakarta – Civil society groups are calling on the Indonesian government to adopt bolder and more consistent energy transition targets following President Prabowo Subianto's speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Activists stressed that his pledge must be anchored in binding laws, clear regulations, and revisions to the Electricity Supply Business Plan (RUPTL).
Agung Budiono, Executive Director of CERAH, warned that existing regulations still leave too much space for fossil fuels.
Government Regulation No. 40 of 2025 on the National Energy Policy (KEN) allocates 26.1-32 percent of the energy mix to fossil energy. At the same time, the RUPTL projects an additional 16.6 gigawatts of gas and coal-fired power plants over the next decade.
"To honor the Paris Agreement, Indonesia must achieve net zero emissions by 2050," Agung said in a written statement on Wednesday, September 24, 2025. He pointed to the International Energy Agency (IEA), which has underscored that the net zero target is only possible if no new coal, gas, or oil projects are developed.
"The government should revise all energy and electricity policies, from KEN to RUPTL, to ensure full alignment with this commitment," he added.
Agung also criticized transitional technologies such as biomass co-firing and carbon capture and storage/utilization (CCS/CCUS), describing them as "false solutions" that prolong fossil fuel dependency.
"The projection of a 7.4-7.6 percent biomass mix in KEN until 2050 will only extend the lifespan of coal power plants," he said.
From New York, CERAH's Program and Policy Manager, Wicaksono Gitawan, responded to remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump at the UNGA, where Trump dismissed climate change and green energy as a hoax. "Such a statement does not reflect the concerns of the global community," Wicaksono said.
He warned that Indonesia faces severe consequences if climate action is delayed. A CERAH study in 2022 found that a one-meter rise in sea levels could flood more than 130,000 hectares of rice fields, reducing rice production by up to one million tons.
"Ignoring the climate crisis would be disastrous for Indonesia, from crop failures to tidal floods," he said.
Meanwhile, Abdurrahman Arum, Executive Director of Clean Transition, criticized the government for permitting new coal-fired power plants to supply downstream industries, particularly smelters.
"The government cannot declare a commitment to net zero while simultaneously allowing new coal plants for smelters. This contradiction must end," he stressed.