Developing Countries Should Be Fully Supported in Spurring the Acceleration of Renewable Energy Development

Secretary General of the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Dadan Kusdiana. (Photo. Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - Secretary General of the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Dadan Kusdiana, said that developing countries, including Indonesia, should be fully supported to accelerate the development of new renewable energy, rather than adding to the responsibilities carried by developed countries.

"We look at how the efforts of developed countries show their commitment, not to then 'add responsibility to developing countries'," said Secretary General of the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Dadan Kusdiana in an interview with ANTARA before the General Assembly Session. 14th International Energy Agency (Irena) in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Wednesday 17 April.

Dadan emphasized efforts to reduce emissions, and reducing greenhouse gases is the responsibility of all parties. However, global targets should not regulate achievements country by country because each country has needs and capabilities related to the domestic situation. Moreover, these global targets must not make a country inflexible.

"We want this global target to also not reach this part of the country, this must be the same," he said.

Indonesia, said Dadan, has not joined the voices regarding efforts to triple new renewable energy capacity to reach the target by 2030. However, Indonesia has a very strong commitment to achieving zero emissions by 2060 or sooner.

“So we see more of the same as China, the same as India. India and China also do not join in this spirit.

So we do not reduce our commitment to how to develop renewable energy. "The President (Joko Widodo) has announced net zero emissions by 2060 or sooner," he said.

Irena's 14th General Assembly session will carry a theme based on the results of the COP28 Climate Summit in Dubai, UAE, November 2023, namely "COP28 Results: Infrastructure, Policies and Capabilities to Triple Renewable Energy and Accelerate the Energy Transition". Also on this theme, Irena wants the global capacity to increase new and renewable energy threefold to at least 11 terawatts (TW) by 2030. Referring to Irena's Energy Transition Outlook document, the target is to maintain the scenario of an increase in the earth's average temperature of no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Indonesia believes that the development of new renewable energy will provide benefits to domestic energy supply, in addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, Dadan stressed, to accelerate, expand and increase new renewable energy capacity, it needs to be in accordance with needs and according to capabilities.

Dadan also emphasized that efforts should be made to use new and renewable energy not to reduce competitiveness.

“I'm not saying that renewable energy is more expensive. But in some cases this cannot be directly related to, for example, the use of renewable energy based on solar energy. This is intermittent. "We need special technological approaches, additional capital so that for the same quality, for example conventional energy, additional costs are still required," said Dadan.

Irena's 14th General Assembly session, Wednesday, will begin with a high-level statement from the President of the General Assembly, namely Rwandan Infrastructure Minister Jimmy Gasore, UAE Country Host and Irena Director General Francesco La Camera.

After delivering the high-level statement, the session continued with a high-level panel discussion, with speakers including, Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov, where Azerbaijan will host the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP) Climate Summit in 2024. Then other panelists , including UAE Deputy Minister of Energy & Petroleum Sharif Al Olama, European Union Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson, African Union Infrastructure and Energy Commissioner Amani Abou-Zeid, and industry players and business leaders such as Acciona CEO, Jose Manuel Entrecanales, Masdar CEO, Mohamed Jameel Al Ramhi and others.