Indonesia urged to close down Japan-funded power plant project

Jakarta: Hundreds of environmentalist organisations in the world voiced their objection against Japan-funded mega coal-fired power plant project in Indonesia, a joint statement said on Thursday.

The objection of 230 environmentalist organisations upon the project was concerning on the huge carbon emission, environment and social impacts from the power plant project with a capacity of 2 x 1,000 MW. Activists of those organisations staged protests in front of Japan Bank for International Co-operation (JBIC) office in Tokyo, Japan and conveyed their objection note to JBIC chairman on Thursday last week.

Similar protests were also held in front of Japanese embassies in Washington and Jakarta, echoing demands on the closure of the project, the statement said. The Japan-funded coal-fired power plant project constructed in Batang, Central Java province, would produce 10.8 million tons of carbon emission each year, worsen the impacts of climate change and to damage the environment around the project areas and risk the health of people, the statement added. “Co-operation between Indonesian and Japanese governments in power plant projects in Batang and Cirebon, West Java, would make Indonesia as dirty technology market for the profit of international financial institution,” Pius Ginting, an executive at Indonesian Environmental Forum (WALHI) said in the statement. The coal-fired power plant in Batang was inaugurated by President Joko Widodo in August last year after four years of delay due to the unsettled land compensation problem. The project carries on despite the problem that has yet to be entirely settled. Xinhua