President says Indonesia can achieve net zero emission before 2050

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto told the G20 that he is confident it will reach zero net emissions by 2050, 10 years earlier than originally planned.

According to a Wednesday statement released by his office, Prabowo said Indonesia also planned to retire coal and fossil fuel-fired electricity plants within the next fifteen years. This is compared to an earlier target date of 2056.

He added that Indonesia would build 75 gigawatts worth of renewable energy plants in the next 15-years, echoing a promise made by his envoy at the COP29 Climate Summit last week.

Prabowo said at the forum that "we are located along the equator and therefore have plenty of sunshine to fuel solar energy."

"We are confident that we will achieve net zero by 2050 because we have other renewable sources."

Indonesia is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world and exporter of thermal coke. It is home to the third largest rainforests in the world.

The installed capacity of the country is over 90 GW. More than half that power comes from coal, and less than 15 % from renewables.

(source: Reuters)