Indonesia Preparing Dozens Of New Coal Plants - Already More Than 50% Of Generation Comes From Coal
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The Batang plant, once up and running, will emit 10.8 million tons of CO2 equivalent every year, along with pollutants that include neurotoxins such as mercury that can have severe repercussions on public health and the environment.
Indonesia is one of the world’s biggest producers of coal, and also one of its biggest consumers. A total of 39 coal-fired power plants are currently under construction. Another 68 have been announced, of which 15 are in the process of obtaining environmental approval, according to data from the research group CoalSwarm.
Many of these projects haven’t secured financing yet, so it’s not too late to cancel them outright, activists say. “We see this year’s presidential election as a moment of opportunity to put an end to coal-based dirty energy and to start moving toward clean renewable energy,” said Tata, who accompanied the fishers and farmers on their visits to the campaign headquarters.
He said it was imperative for Indonesia to transition to renewable energy sources, given the trend for power generation to account for the biggest share of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. The power industry is responsible for 34 percent of Indonesia’s total emissions at present, but is on track to hit 58 percent by 2030. (Forest clearing is currently the country’s biggest source of emissions.) Indonesia is already the world’s fifth-largest GHG emitter. Any effort to reduce its emissions should address the energy sector, Tata said.
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https://news.mongabay.com/2019/02/for-indonesian-presidential-hopefuls-burning-coal-is-business-as-usual/