Petition

Achieve an Equitable Transition from Fossil Energy to Energy Democracy


Petition from AEER

Addressed to:

– Arifin Tasrif (Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources of Indonesia/Chairman of the National Energy Council)
– Sugeng Suparwoto (Chairman of Commission VII of the Indonesian House of Representatives)
– Ida Fauziyah (Minister of Manpower)
– Siti Nurbaya (Minister of Environment and Forestry)


The Energy Situation in Indonesia

Indonesia’s energy is still dominated by coal, and this continues to increase. In 2022, coal contributed 68.7% to the energy mix, up from 54.7% in 2015. In contrast, renewable energy accounted for only 12.8% in 2022, down from 13% in 2015.

This is despite the fact that transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy is one of the government’s priorities during Indonesia’s G20 Presidency to reduce carbon emissions and address climate change.


What is Energy Democracy?

Energy democracy is a social movement advocating for the transition to renewable energy and rejecting the fossil fuel-dominated energy agenda. This movement supports democratic access to energy, respects local autonomy, ensures fair decision-making, and rejects environmental injustices.


Why is Energy Democracy Important?

Because energy management in Indonesia is still undemocratic. Energy is not distributed evenly, and the current management harms local communities. Energy democracy promotes the sustainable use of green energy.


Issues on the Ground

Power outages are common in several areas, such as East Kalimantan. Some villages in Kutai Timur Regency and Kutai Kartanegara Regency do not have electricity access, forcing residents to buy diesel generators and personal solar panels. Ironically, East Kalimantan is the largest coal producer in Indonesia.

About 200 seaweed fishermen in Bontang Lestari, East Kalimantan, are affected by pollution from the local coal-fired power plant. This pollution damages the seaweed farming areas, causing them to lose their jobs.


The Need to Support Energy Transition

Training and jobs in the green energy sector are essential to support the transition from coal. Public participation in energy system planning is also crucial to ensure community needs are met.

Currently, public participation in energy sector decision-making is very limited. To ensure community needs are prioritized, people must be empowered to have greater participation in energy policy.

Energy in Indonesia is increasingly controlled by private power plants linked to the coal industry, hindering a just transition towards the 2030 peak emissions target.


Principles of Energy Democracy

Energy democracy has five principles:
1. Universal access and social justice.
2. Local, renewable, and sustainable energy.
3. Public and social ownership.
4. Fair wages and green job creation.
5. Democratic and participatory community control.


Our Demands

We urge the government to:
1. Provide public participation in energy planning, including in the process of changing the National Energy Plan, the General Plan for Electricity, and the Electricity Supply Business Plan (RUPTL).
2. Implement a fair energy transition in a more democratic and transparent manner.
3. Encourage energy transition by providing training and jobs from the fossil energy sector to the renewable/low-carbon energy sector.
4. Provide the best protection rules for residents and the environment affected by the nickel battery mining industry, based on international best practices.

We invite everyone to support this petition for a fairer and more sustainable energy future for Indonesia.

Action for Ecology and People’s Emancipation struggles to expand democratic space in sustainable natural resource management & build awareness of people’s political ecology.

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