Indonesia:

Geothermal Bill Likely to Pass Into Law Next Month (Jakarta Globe)

Jakarta. The national legislature is likely to pass the long-awaited geothermal bill into law next month, a move that may unlock a potential 12,000 megawatts in electricity production from protected forests.

Rida Mulyana, the director general of renewable energy and energy conservation at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, said in Jakarta on Tuesday that the government and the House of Representatives had agreed on a bill that would replace the existing geothermal law issued in 2003.

The bill would no longer define geothermal exploration and exploitation as “mining activities,” which has barred development of geothermal energy within restricted forested areas.

“Revision of the [geothermal] law will accelerate development and usage of our geothermal power potential,” Rida said.

“The most important thing is we can use it wherever it’s located, including in conserved forests.”

The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has estimated that 42 percent of the country’s geothermal resources are located in protected forest areas. Read More....