
Indonesia explores renewable energy cooperation with Oman
JAKARTA: Indonesia is looking to strengthen partnerships with Oman in the renewable energy sector, its Foreign Ministry has said, following talks with the Gulf state's envoy to Jakarta.
Indonesia's Foreign Minister Sugiono met with Omani Ambassador Sheikh Mohamed Ahmed Salim Al-Shanfari on Tuesday to discuss ways to deepen ties.
During the meeting, they discussed ways to boost trade diversification and 'maximize strategic opportunities, particularly in the renewable energy sector and mining,' Indonesia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Indonesia has been working to boost its clean energy sector through closer cooperation with countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power has several projects in Indonesia, including the development of the Saguling Floating Solar Photovoltaic Project in West Java province, which will have a 92 megawatt peak capacity.
Indonesia has also collaborated with Emirati giant Masdar in developing floating solar power plants in the country.
This includes Southeast Asia's largest floating photovoltaic installation — which can power around 50,000 households — in Cirata, West Java that was inaugurated in November 2023 by then-President Joko Widodo.
Jakarta is working to increase renewable energy cooperation with other nations because 'energy transition issues will be the determining sectors for humankind in the future,' Indonesia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Roy Soemirat told Arab News on Thursday.
'Therefore it is imperative for Indonesia to continue opening up possibilities to work with all partners in this area of common concern.'
One of the world's biggest greenhouse gas emitters, renewables accounted for around 14 percent of Indonesia's energy mix as of early 2025, with the majority of its power needs met by coal and oil.
Though Jakarta previously pledged to achieve a 23 percent share of renewable power in its energy mix by 2025, an updated roadmap issued this week by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources showed that the goal has shifted.
The country of 270 million people now aims to achieve a 35 percent share of renewables in its energy mix by 2034.
According to a report by the Asia Clean Energy Coalition, meeting its renewable energy targets could boost Indonesia's economic output by up to $1.8 billion and generate more than 136,000 jobs.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Arab News
a day ago
- Arab News
In Java, Indonesian conservationist leads efforts to protect endangered silvery gibbons
JAKARTA: It was deep in the heart of an Indonesian rainforest in West Java that Rahayu Oktaviani, known as Ayu, first heard the 'song' of the Javan gibbon. She had her first encounter in 2008 while visiting the Mount Halimun Salak National Park for an undergraduate research project that required her to obtain a voice sample of the primate. After waiting patiently for two weeks, coming in and out of the forest, she finally heard a Javan gibbon make its distinctive call. She recalled how the sound she described as melodic and haunting had created a hush, as it echoed throughout the forest. 'It's like the most beautiful song that I ever heard in my life. It's so amazing,' Ayu told Arab News. 'They are non-human primates, but they can have like this beautiful song that can make all of … the creatures in the forest just keep silent.' In the 17 years since, Ayu has dedicated her life to protecting the endangered animals, which are also known as 'silvery gibbon,' or 'owa jawa' locally. A vast archipelago stretching across the equator, Indonesia is a top global biodiversity hotspot and home to over 60 species of primates, about 38 of which are endemic to the country. 'Maybe a lot of people know about the orangutan, about the rhino, about the tiger, but how about the overlooked species, just like, for example, the Javan gibbon? Not so many people know about them,' Ayu said. Fewer than 2,500 Javan gibbons remain in the wild today, according to an estimate by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. About half of them live in the 87,000-hectare Mount Halimun Salak National Park, where Ayu and her team have laid the building blocks for grassroots conservation of the endangered species. The gibbons rely on a continuous canopy for movement and foraging, making them particularly vulnerable to forest fragmentation and habitat degradation. As around 55 percent of Indonesia's 270 million population lives in Java, the survival of the endemic species found only in the island's forests is threatened by deforestation and illegal animal trafficking. 'With the situation in Java, where only like 10 percent of the natural forests are remaining, it means the forest itself should be intact. The forest itself still needs to be there not only for the Javan gibbons, but also for the other species that need this habitat for their lives,' Ayu said. In 2020, she co-founded the conservation nongovernmental organization Kiara to expand efforts to save the Javan gibbon, believing that a key aspect in protecting the species was to engage the local community. When she started out as a primatologist, spending much time in the forest to study the gibbons, Ayu did not realize that she was neglecting the very people who lived alongside the primates. She recalled a question a villager posed at the time, a woman named Yanti, who was curious as to why Ayu always went to the forest but rarely stopped by the village. 'That's a really casual and simple question, but it kept me thinking about what I've been doing so far. Is there something that I've been missing?' Ayu said. Yanti's query eventually led her to realize that she needed to do more with the community. 'We want to build together with the communities, where actually the gibbon can be something that they can be proud of,' she said. 'Community engagement is 100 percent the core for conservation because without community, we cannot do everything.' Ayu has employed people from Citalahab, a small village enclave located within the national park where locals make a living working in tea plantations or as rice farmers. Eight of them now work in the field alongside Ayu and her team to monitor the gibbons in the wild. With Kiara, she also established the Ambu Halimun initiative, which involves 15 local women between the ages of 17 and 50 in ecoprinting workshops and financial literacy training. In April, Ayu won the prestigious Whitley Award, which recognizes achievements in grassroots conservation, to advance her work in protecting the Javan gibbons. With 50,000 British pounds ($67,000) from the award, Ayu plans to scale up her programs with Kiara to mitigate threats from human activities and to protect the gibbons' habitat. This includes developing a data management system to enhance park-wide conservation efforts, training the park rangers in biodiversity monitoring techniques, and guiding conservation strategies. The 38-year-old, whose role models are 'the Trimates,' primatologists Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey and Birute Galdikas, has faith that humans can live in coexistence with wildlife. 'Actually, if we put aside our ego, we are part of the ecosystem itself. We are not separated from the ecosystems, so it means we have to have more balance with nature,' she said. 'And to do that, we also have to respect what else (is) actually living together with us in these ecosystems.' Ayu said the Whitley Award served as good momentum to raise awareness about the species she loves dearly, the Javan gibbons. 'I believe not so many people are aware of the existence of the Javan gibbon, so it's the right momentum to share the love for the Javan gibbon and make people care about it,' she said. 'Because how can you care about the species if you know nothing about them?' With the award and the coverage that it garnered internationally, Ayu is also hopeful about inspiring a new generation of conservationists from Indonesia. 'I think women also play a good part to be conservationists in the future … It's also about … regeneration: the importance of nurturing the new generation of conservationists and primatologists from Indonesia, especially because we need more and more people who work in this field.'


Argaam
5 days ago
- Argaam
ACWA Power files with Kuwait's CPA to acquire 3 firms
Kuwait's Competition Protection Agency (CPA) received a request from ACWA Power Co., AZN Dutch Holdco No.1 B.V Co., AZN Dutch Holdco No.2 B.V Co., and AZN O&M Co. W.L.L to approve their economic concentration transaction. In a statement, the agency said ACWA Power filed for acquiring 100% of AZN Dutch Holdco No.1 B.V and AZN Dutch Holdco No.2 B.V, in addition to 50% of AZN O&M, which are owned by Kahrabil Company (MMH). AZN Dutch Holdco No.1 B.V and AZN Dutch Holdco No.2 B.V are holding companies, while AZN O&M is active in the operation, supply, development and maintenance of electrical energy and desalinated drinking water, according to the statement.


Arab News
5 days ago
- Arab News
Closing Bell: TASI gains 135 points after positive market breadth
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's Tadawul All Share Index closed higher on Monday, advancing 135.45 points, or 1.26 percent, to end at 10,867.04. Market breadth was strongly positive with 223 gainers and 23 fallers. Trading activity remained robust with a total value of SR4.87 billion ($1.2 billion), supported by optimism across key sectors. Among the top gainers, Red Sea International Co. rose 10 percent to SR36.85, while CHUBB Arabia Cooperative Insurance Co. added 9.98 percent to end at SR33.60. National Gypsum Co. and Saudi Enaya Cooperative Insurance Co. gained 9.97 percent and 8.02 percent, respectively, closing at SR19.42 and SR9.29. ACWA Power Co. also rose 6.94 percent to close at SR262.00. Among the worst performers, MBC Group Co. led losses with a decline of 3.11 percent to close at SR35.80. Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Services Group followed, shedding 2.30 percent to settle at SR255, while Gulf Union Alahlia Cooperative Insurance Co. fell 1.63 percent to SR14.52. Middle East Specialized Cables Co. ended the session down 1.13 percent at SR30.55, and Dr. Soliman Abdel Kader Fakeeh Hospital Co. edged 0.75 percent lower to SR39.85. On the announcement front, ASAS Makeen Real Estate Development and Investment Co. began trading on the Nomu-Parallel Market on June 16, with shares priced at SR80 each. The company's stock rose 14.38 percent to close at SR91.50 after it confirmed the signing of an SR240 million real estate development agreement with the National Housing Co. The stock is subject to daily and static price fluctuation limits of plus or minus 30 percent and 10 percent, respectively. The 42-month project includes the construction of 470 residential units in Riyadh and is expected to impact financial results in the fourth quarter following the issuance of the required license. ASAS Makeen offered 10 percent of its SR100 million capital, or one million shares, in an initial public offering that was nearly 1,949 percent oversubscribed. Tabuk Agricultural Development Co. closed 1.90 percent higher at SR10.18 after announcing it had received the full SR14.85 million operational financing loan from the Agricultural Development Fund. The two-year facility is secured by a mortgage on the company's land and investment shares.