Indonesia\u2019s energy transition stands at a crossroads. Amid threats of\nrising Fuel Oil (BBM) prices due to Middle East dynamics, the policy of\nearly retirement of Coal-Fired Power Plants (PLTU) is instead slowing\ndown the national energy agenda. Meanwhile, demands for transparency and\njustice from communities affected by New Renewable Energy (EBT) projects\nin West Sumatra, North Sumatra, and West Java are growing stronger.\nTheir aspirations, summarised in the Just Energy Transition Workshops\nheld in each region, affirm a common call: that accelerating the energy\ntransition must proceed inclusively, rooted in local wisdom, and\nprioritising public welfare, rather than mere numerical targets on\npaper.<\/p>\n
The energy sector is one of the largest contributors to global\nemissions, with coal predicted by the International Energy Agency to\nremain the largest source of electricity until 2030. Indonesia has\nresponded through its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)\ncommitment, the Net Zero Emission target for 2060, and several policies\nto accelerate EBT, but implementation remains hampered, such as the\nunfulfilled early retirement of PLTU and EBT projects that have not\nfully involved the voices of affected communities.<\/p>\n
In North Sumatra, research by the Srikandi Lestari Foundation shows\nthat 70 percent of residents near the Pangkalan Susu PLTU fully\nunderstand the impacts of coal burning from the PLTU. \u201cHowever, because\nof the narrative that clean energy is expensive, it becomes less\nappealing,\u201d explained Director of the Srikandi Lestari Foundation,\nSumiati Surbakti.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, she emphasised the need for comprehensive environmental\nrecovery programme data to ensure fair compensation for affected\nresidents around PLTU locations. \u201cIf early retirement of PLTU is\neventually carried out and the energy transition is implemented, the\nimportant thing is fair compensation for affected communities because\nthis concerns the future of our grandchildren,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in West Java, the plan for early retirement of the\nCirebon-1 PLTU has been welcomed by fishermen to crab peelers, given the\nimpacts it has caused so far. The jetty facility or coal transportation\ndock often forces fishermen to detour because their routes are blocked\nby the jetty bridge. Wiwid, a crab peeler from Waruduwur Village,\nIndramayu, revealed the economic impacts felt by women. \u201cWe are also\naffected. Crab catches have decreased, so our income has also reduced,\u201d\nshe stated during the workshop discussion.<\/p>\n
In West Sumatra, field practices show that energy transition without\njustice will only give birth to new conflicts. The selection of\ntechnology not aligned with community characteristics, along with the\nabsence of transparency and community involvement from the early stages,\nmakes the energy transition vulnerable to being perceived merely as a\nclaim of \u201cclean energy\u201d or simply to meet emission reduction targets.\n\u201cConflicts in energy projects like the Geothermal Power Plant (PLTP) in\nGunung Talang, for example, occur because the government is more focused\non building a transition narrative without ensuring community\ninvolvement. As a result, large-scale projects are viewed as a form of\nnatural resource exploitation that sacrifices residents,\u201d revealed Diki\nRafiqi, Director of LBH Padang.<\/p>\n
According to researcher from the Center for Agrarian and\nEnvironmental Justice (CAEJ), Andalas University, Apriwan, the main\nproblem with energy transition in the region, particularly in West\nSumatra, does not lie in the absence of policies or technical potential,\nbut in the lack of synchronisation between centralistic national policy\ndesigns and local conditions. From analysis of various EBT projects in\nWest Sumatra such as Danau Singkarak, Gunung Talang, Tandikek\nSinggalang, and Muara Laboh, emerging issues include social resistance,\nadat land conflicts, trust crises, and unequal distribution of economic\nbenefits.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis situation should not be seen merely as rejection of the energy\ntransition, but rather indicates that there are still justice gaps in\nenergy transition governance,\u201d he said. Apriwan stated that to achieve a\njust transition, integration between global frameworks and local values\nis needed. Such as applying the principles of Adat Basandi Syarak,\nSyarak Basandi Kitabullah, and Salingka Nagari. \u201cAdat Basandi Syarak,\nSyarak Basandi Kitabullah serves as a source of moral legitimacy and\npublic ethics, while Salingka Nagari provides a local institutional\nstructure based on nagari that emphasises deliberation, consensus, and\ncollective ownership of natural resources,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Onrizal from Green Justice Indonesia revealed that a just\nenergy transition in the North Sumatra region is not merely a national\nmandate, but a strategic opportunity to build a fair green economy and\nimprove community quality of life. \u201cNorth Sumatra has potential\nrenewable energy sources to accelerate the energy transition while\nmaintaining social justice for vulnerable communities in accelerating\nemission reductions,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
Director of Rhizoma and implementer of the workshop in West Java,\nMeiki Paendong, stated that early retirement of PLTU does not only rely\non replacing technology to reduce emissions but must also ensure justice\nfor communities that have been affected by PLTU. \u201cThe voices of local\nresidents must be an important part of every policy-making because the\nenergy transition is not merely a technical and economic issue but a\nsocial process that must involve affected communities as the main\nsubjects of change,\u201d she said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/energy-transition-becomes-increasingly-urgent-communities-in-three-affected-regions-push-for-justice-and-1775796657", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }