Indonesia is to tap into vast reserves of geothermal energy to help meet its power needs for coming decades, with plans to invest more than US$10 billion over the next 15 years in the renewable power source. Estimates put the geothermal potential of Indonesia, which hosts hundreds of active and extinct volcanoes, at around 28,000 MW or 40 percent of the world's total. A clean energy source, geothermal power is generated by heat extracted from the Earth's core.

While the start of this year was all about the misery of the PIIGS, the rest of the year is likely to focus on the mastery of the STINC. That would be Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, Indonesia and Chile, five under-appreciated corners of the earth unsullied by over-spending, over-confidence and over-exposure.

Recently, we witnessed an outcry from households in our country due to prices on some agricultural commodities, especially peppers reaching up to Rp 50,000 (around US$5) per kilogram. The astronomical price increase was caused, among others, by reduced supply due to crop failure as looming climate change impacts are becoming more intense lately.

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Trade Minister M.S. Hidayat has said that the government is conceiving the idea of producing cheap cars domestically. The sedan will be a low cost green car and will be marketed at the price of around Rp80 million. “This is our dream, after having an automotive industry assembling and export for 40 years. This is also for our national pride,” he said in Jakarta last week.

VP Boediono. (ANTARA News) Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Vice President Boediono said halal certification of domestic products and services should not be burdensome or harmful to industries. "The awareness of products and services must belong to all parties and all stakeholders and therefore the halal certification should not be burdensome or harmful to industries," the vice president said at a function to open Business Exhibition and Indonesian Halal Products 2010 here on Friday.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Vice President Boediono said THE national automotive industry was not yet competitive compared to those in other countries. "We have been developing an automotive industry in the country for a long time but until now it remains unable to compete with similar industries abroad," he said when opening an International Indonesia Motor Show here on Friday. He said national automotive industrialists had not become strong players in the field despite their long existence.

Bengkulu (ANTARA News) - The construction of Nusantara I pier of Pulau Baai port of Bengkulu needs a fund of more than Rp36.6 billion, an official of the local port operator said. "The construction of the pier is expected to be completed late this month and operated in September," Manager of state-owned port operator PT Pelindo II for Bengkulu, Indra Sani said here on Sunday.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Energy Care Society (MPE) urged on Sunday the government and the House of Representatives (DPR) to encourage the use of renewable energy as an alternative to fossil fuel. "The government and the DPR need to issue a regulation to lay a firm basis to change fossil fuel`s market domination by encouraging the public to use more renewable energy," MPE Chairman Abdul Kadir said.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Less directed rattan export policy and declining demand for rattan products in domestic and world markets are threatening the sustainability of the rattan business in the country, Indonesian Rattan Foundation (YRI) chairman Lisman Sumardjani said. Lisman said here on Sunday that decline in the demand for rattan made products was among other caused by the increasing demand for rattan-imitation goods in the market.

...and on and on and on....

From Jakarta Globe Lombok Resort Still on Track: Emaar Jakarta. Dubai-based property developer Emaar Properties has again been forced to deny it has pulled out of a $600 million resort project on the island of Lombok, which has been idle for years.