Mindset about the Mining Industry Must be Changed, Says Director General

MINISTRY OF ENERGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES

REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA

PRESS RELEASE

NUMBER: 324.Pers/04/SJI/2021

Date: 15 September 2021

Mindset about the Mining Industry Must be Changed, Says Director General

Indonesia has a strong commitment to clean energy development, as shown by its ratification of the Paris Agreement. Therefore, Indonesia has a moral obligation to the global community, and this obligation binds the country's mineral and coal industry, too.

Director General of Mineral and Coal of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Ridwan Djamaluddin, said Indonesia's mineral and coal industry was trying to become a clean energy industry and environmentally friendly.

"It means that when we're talking about minerals for clean energy, we're trying to generate energy from new sources that are different from those we usually exploit," said Ridwan during a webinar titled "Mineral for Renewable Energy-Green/Clean Energy" on Tuesday (14/9).

These minerals, continued Ridwan, would be used in a variety of component and industries, such as infrastructure, public transportation, battery, and the infrastructure for new, renewable energy. To this end, massive exploration is needed to deal with Indonesia's geographical challenge.

"We'll promote massive exploration to obtain better sources of raw material, which theoretically exists in Indonesia. Our challenge is, similar to what happens when we explore other mineral sources, the geological configurations in Indonesia. Our exploration projects cannot fully imitate what other countries have done, so we need to find the methods that are suitable for Indonesia's configurations," said Ridwan.

Indonesia has various types of critical minerals and Rare Earth Elements (REE) with potential for development. Many discussions and discourses had been held to boost the use of critical minerals.

"Until now, the government has not had any specific plans, including on REE development regulations. This webinar is aimed to prepare the general framework, for both technical and regulatory contexts. We intend to change the mindset that the mining industry is not environmentally friendly, to an industry that is ecological, including within the context of clean energy production. We have confidence in the concept, but we need to develop a more tangible implementation framework," Ridwan concluded. (IY)

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