JAKARTA: Energy transitions are unfolding everywhere but the stakes for Indonesia’s shift are particularly important, as it is the world’s fourth-most populous country, sixth-biggest emitter of carbon dioxide and top exporter of coal.

Coal accounts for more than 62% of Indonesia’s power generation, while renewable energy makes up 14%.

Wind and solar power comprise around 0.2% of that mix, far from the global average of 10%. The rest of Indonesia’s renewable energy comes from hydropower, biofuels and waste-to-energy.

The Indonesian government has reiterated that it will pursue the energy transition at its own pace and in ways that match the country’s economic goals and fiscal ability, stressing that the strategies of developed economies will not work for developing countries.

Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said that the economies of developing countries must still grow, while they pursued emissions reduction.

“We need to avoid being dogmatic about one technology in carbon emissions reduction,” Luhut said during the Indonesia International Sustainability Forum, or IISF, in Jakarta in September.

 - ANN