In East Kalimantan There Are 3.1 Million Vehicles, Head Of The East Kalimantan ESDM Office: More And More Use Of Fuel, Which Is Dominated By Fossil Fuels, Causes Pollution

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - Head of the East Kalimantan Province Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Office Christianus Benny revealed that based on BPS and Polda data until 2020, the number of vehicles scattered in the area was 3,178,580 units.

"The more vehicles there are, the more fuel is used. Until now, the use of fossil fuels is still dominated. Of course it is not environmentally friendly and has a direct impact on pollution and air pollution," said Christianus Benny in an official statement in Samarinda, quoted from Between, Friday January 28th.

The two areas with the highest number of vehicles are Samarinda and Balikpapan. Samarinda was the highest with 815,342 units and Balikpapan with 634,243 units. In third position is Kutai Kartanegara with a total of 513,935 units.

Benny predicts that the number of motorized vehicles will continue to grow in the next few years. Especially after the plan to move the country's capital city received legal protection with the ratification of the State Capital Law (IKN).

"The IKN development process is believed to have an impact on the economy and population growth. The next prediction is that the number of motorized vehicles will almost certainly increase significantly," said Benny.

With the example of the high use of motorized vehicles in Samarinda, Balikpapan and Kutai Kartanegara, according to Benny, this is sufficient reason for the importance of switching from fossil fuels to battery-based electric fuels that are environmentally friendly.

However, he admits that this breakthrough in the transition to the use of fuel will not be easy, because it still takes time to build infrastructure and infrastructure in various regions.

In addition, electric vehicles are still valued as luxury goods, so the price is still relatively high.

Although the government has made efforts to provide other incentives in the form of Government Regulation Number 74 of 2021 concerning Amendments to PP Number 73 of 2019 concerning Taxable Goods Classified as Luxury, including motor vehicles subject to sales tax on luxury goods.

"In essence, zero percent for electric vehicles," he said.

According to Benny, the massive use of electric-fueled vehicles will also support the green East Kalimantan program, which has been campaigning for several years.

Moreover, East Kalimantan is the only province in Indonesia that will receive a World Bank funding of US$ 110 million in the world carbon emission reduction program (FCPF Carbon Fund).