The Provincial Government and the Private Sector are Working Toward Reducing Emissions
“The NTB mission of Asri and Lestari — beauty and sustainability — expresses how we care for the environment,” said Deputy Governor of NTB Hj Rohmi Djalilah while explaining the West Nusa Tenggara’s (NTB) roadmap towards zero emissions in 2050. This statement reflects the desire of the people of NTB residents to pioneer reducing emissions in Indonesia.
This zero-emission aspiration is not unique to NTB: the world wants to be emission-free as a solution to the challenges of climate change. The Paris Agreement, signed by most nations on 12 December 2015, is a joint commitment to the steps needed to mitigate global warming.
The agreement declared 28 January as International CO2 Emission Reduction Day. This global commemoration is intended to promote developing and implementing measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Indonesia’s role under the Paris Agreement is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 29% independently and 41% with international support in 2030. Indonesia has increased this target through the Enhanced Nationally Determined Contribution (E-NDC) to 32% or 912 million tons of CO2 in 2030.
Indonesia is also striving to achieve Net Zero Emissions (NZE) in 2060 through programs such as converting fuel oil to liquefied natural gas (LNG), promoting the use of electric stoves, replacing fuel oils with biofuels, and accelerating the installation of rooftop solar panels. The government is offering incentives to electrify motor vehicles, which, besides lessening environmental impact, provides economic opportunities for small and medium businesses.
NTB Becomes a Pioneer of Emission Reduction and Efforts of the Private Party
The aspiration of NTB to become a pioneer in reducing emissions is not just wishful thinking. The Government of Indonesia has declared NTB as a National Green Energy Pilot Project area. Besides the high green energy potential, NTB is also a venue for the “Implementation of Green Economy in the Context of Accelerating National Economic Recovery” research project of the Republic of Indonesia’s National Defense Institute (Lemhannas RI).
NTB is already a decade ahead of the national target of 2060, with the roadmap toward zero emissions by 2050.
To realize this goal, the NTB government is inviting cooperation with the private-sector companies operating in the region. PT Amman Mineral Nusa Tenggara (AMMAN), operator of the Batu Hijau copper-and-gold mine in West Sumbawa, is stepping forward to support this mission as an expression of the company’s efforts to implement good mining practices (GMP), which mandate environmental sustainability as well as productivity and efficiency.
Three awards for implementing GMP at the 77th Anniversary of Mining and Energy, held by the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in 2022, attest to AMMAN’s commitment to sustainable environmental and operational management. AMMAN is also directly supporting the NTB government’s efforts through various programs. A notable example is the commissioning in June 2022 of a Solar PV facility with a capacity of 28.6 peak megawatts. This ground-mounted power plant is currently the largest Solar PV in Indonesia used for mining operations. The plant is expected to reduce CO2 emissions from Batu Hijau operations by up to 40,000 tons annually.
The company also signed an agreement to construct the Batu Hijau-1 Combined Cycle Power Plant (BHCCPP-1), with a gross capacity of 450 MW. This reaffirms AMMAN’s commitment to sustainable operations by using environmentally friendly energy sources. AMMAN will be one of the first companies in the NTB region to switch to gas as a cleaner energy source with lower carbon emissions than coal.
Emission-reduction initiatives include concurrent reclamation, where some mine sections are replanted while mining continues in adjacent areas. AMMAN reclaimed 768 hectares by mid-2022. Other programs include the Watershed Rehabilitation program (DAS), mangrove planting, ethnobotany, Spring Protection (Permata), and coastal forest planting, for a total of 2.3 million trees planted to date. The company’s reclamation program and DAS Rehab are expected to help reduce CO2 emissions by an estimated 40,000 tons of CO2 through reclamation and 70,000 tons of CO2 through Rehab DAS.
Efforts to create a beautiful and sustainable NTB require the cooperation of many parties, from the government to the community, to the private sector. Collaboration to achieve the same goal brings about optimal results. Hopefully, the beautiful and sustainable nature of NTB can be spread throughout the country and more people can enjoy the blue sky of Indonesia.
