Energy saving remains alien to Indonesians<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Energy conservation remains a foreign concept to
\nmost Indonesians despite an official campaign launched 15 years
\nago, experts said on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Energy users, whether for industry, transportation or
\nhouseholds, remain largely wasteful, Hasbia Armia of the Energy
\nAwareness Foundation told Antara.<\/p>\n
Not even a presidential executive order supporting the energy
\nconservation campaign issued in 1991 has had any major impact,
\nHasbi, the foundation's secretary, said.<\/p>\n
The foundation plans a series of activities this year to
\nreinvigorate the campaign. They include a seminar, the launching
\nof a book on the subject, and sponsoring the production of a quiz
\nshow on the subject of energy conservation, which will be aired
\nby TPI in July.<\/p>\n
Yus Sadewa, another foundation official, blamed low public
\nawareness about conservation energy on the relatively low energy
\nprices, public misperception of unlimited petroleum supply, and
\nlack of energy-saving technology.<\/p>\n
In spite of a drive to reduce dependence on petroleum in the
\npast decade, oil still supplies 65 percent of Indonesia's energy
\nneeds. The rest are supplied by natural gas (21 percent), coal
\n(7.5 percent) and other sources (4.7 percent).<\/p>\n
Hasbi said Indonesia should start making serious efforts to
\nconserve energy in the Seventh Five-Year Plan which begins in
\n1999.<\/p>\n
The country could save the equivalent of 110 million barrels
\nof oil during the five-year period. In monetary terms, this means
\na saving of Rp 4 trillion ($1.75 billion) at current oil prices
\nof $20 a barrel, he said.<\/p>\n
Hasbi said Indonesia should use its energy resources more
\nefficiently, even though the country still has a relatively low
\nper capita energy consumption.<\/p>\n
Per capita energy consumption in Indonesia was put at 0.37
\ntons of oil equivalent (TOE) in 1993. The rate is 7.86 TOE in the
\nUnited States, 3.64 TOE in Japan and 0.70 TOE in Thailand.<\/p>\n
Inefficiency<\/p>\n
Measuring energy consumption in terms of per unit of the Gross
\nDomestic Product shows the inefficiency of energy uses in
\nIndonesia, Hasbi said.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, the rate is put at 619 TOE for every million
\nU.S. dollar. This means that to produce one million dollars of
\nGDP, Indonesia needs 619 TOE of energy.<\/p>\n
The U.S., which has the highest per capita energy consumption,
\nneeds 397 TOE to produce one million dollars of GDP, while Japan
\nneeds 154 TOE, Hasbi said.<\/p>\n
Experts have predicted that barring a major oil discovery,
\nIndonesia's oil reserves would be exhausted within 17 years.<\/p>\n
Experts and officials have also said that Indonesia would
\nbecome a net oil importer at the turn of the century because of a
\ncombination of rapid rising demand and depleting oil reserves.<\/p>\n
The government is currently considering introducing nuclear
\nenergy but the move has been widely opposed by environmental
\ngroups. (01)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/energy-saving-remains-alien-to-indonesians-1447893297",
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