ICMA insists coal to remain top energy source in RI

By Tri Subhki R

Indonesian Coal Mining Association (ICMA) insisted that coal would remain the country?s top energy source in the long-term given its huge resources and affordable price compared to renewables.

The statement was made at a press conference following mounting calls from local and international environmental activists for Indonesia to stop the use of coal.

?We want to stress the fact that coal is currently the most important source (of fuel) for the ongoing 35 GW electricity project. The second (fact) is that coal is also the still most efficient in terms of price and resource in Indonesia,? ICMA chairman Pandu Syahrir told reporters on Thursday.

He said even developed nations still source about 40 percent of their energy needs from coal.

According to Pandu, reducing the use of coal in electricity project in Indonesia would make electricity price more expensive as 1 kWH of electricity generated by coal is priced at Rp 378 compared to Rp 2,835 by oil fuel.

ICMA predicts that the demand of coal for domestic power plants would reach 177.5 million tons compared to the realization of 70.8 million tons in 2015.

Regarding concerns of the environmental problem, Pandu said that the use of super critical and ultra super-critical technologies in power plants could significantly reduce impact of CO2 emissions.

?ICMA members would continue working together to reduce the CO2 emission. We are active in the climate change talks under the Conference of Parties (COP), including in last year?s meeting in Paris,? he said.

The 2015 COP meeting in Paris reached agreement to limit global temperature rise by among others shifting the use of fossil fuels.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak