Indonesia can reach net zero emissions before 2050, president says

Prabowo also said Indonesia planned to retire all coal and fossil-fuel-fired power plants within the next 15 years, versus an earlier target of 2056, according to a statement from his office released on Wednesday. Indonesia will build 75 gigawatts of renewable power plants within the next 15 years, he added, echoing a commitment his envoy told the COP29 climate summit last week. "We are also situated along the equator, therefore we have more than plenty of sunlight to fuel solar-based energy," Prabowo told the forum.

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia is optimistic it can reach net zero emissions before 2050, a decade earlier than previously targeted, President Prabowo Subianto told a G20 forum, Prabowo also said Indonesia planned to retire all coal and fossil-fuel-fired power plants within the next 15 years, versus an earlier target of 2056, according to a statement from his office released on Wednesday. Indonesia will build 75 gigawatts of renewable power plants within the next 15 years, he added, echoing a commitment his envoy told the COP29 climate summit last week. "We are also situated along the equator, therefore we have more than plenty of sunlight to fuel solar-based energy," Prabowo told the forum.

"We have other sources of renewables and that's why we are very optimistic that we can achieve net zero before 2050." Indonesia is one the world's biggest greenhouse gas emitters and its top exporter of thermal coal. But it is also home to the world's third biggest rainforests.

Its current installed power capacity is more than 90 GW, with more than half of that powered by coal and less than 15% by renewables. (Reporting by Stefanno Sulaiman; Editing by Andrew Heavens, Martin Petty).