House to soon draft geothermal power bill<\/p>\n
A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The House of Representatives endorsed a plan, during a plenary
\nsession on Monday, to draft a law on geothermal power to help
\nprovide legal certainty for investors in the field.<\/p>\n
The initiative to draft the law came from House Commission
\nVIII on energy and mineral resources. The House rarely uses its
\nright to initiate the drafting of a law.<\/p>\n
All nine factions approved the plan.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the
\nbiggest faction in the House, supported the bill to help guide
\nthe government in formulating its geothermal policy.<\/p>\n
\"So far, we only have a presidential decree. The law is needed
\nto serve as an umbrella law on geothermal power,\" Paulus Maria
\nSaul De Ornay read out, in his faction statement before the
\nplenary meeting.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Golkar Party faction endorsed the initiative on
\nthe grounds that the Law on Geothermal Power could ensure legal
\ncertainty in the field.<\/p>\n
\"Legal certainty is important as geothermal power is
\nconsidered a high-risk investment for investors,\" said
\nDjamaluddin Sahidu, representing his faction, the second biggest
\nin the House.<\/p>\n
Djamaluddin added that presidential decrees often change so it
\nwould not necessarily ensure legal certainty.<\/p>\n
Some 349 out of a total of 500 DPR members were present at the
\nplenary session.<\/p>\n
During Monday's plenary meeting, the factions underlined the
\nimportance of geothermal power in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Geothermal power is environmentally friendly and could boost
\nthe supply of electricity power amid the threat of power
\nshortages, legislators said.<\/p>\n
They also said that geothermal power had enormous potential in
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
According to a government data, 40 percent of the world's
\ngeothermal resources are located in Indonesia, which could
\npotentially produce some 20,000 megawatts of electricity.<\/p>",
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