Indonesia sustainability monitor · English summaries of English and Bahasa reporting
18 stories
RKEF lines at the Morowali industrial park began reducing production. The market is waiting on further 2026 mining quota (RKAB) approvals, and a revised ore benchmark formula took effect on 15 September.
Why it matters: Output cuts at Indonesia's largest nickel hub ripple straight into battery and stainless supply chains.
Speakers from the Moi and other communities described losing forest access. Officials said 12 customary-law communities in Papua have been formally recognised, with dozens of claims still under review.
Why it matters: Recognition of adat forests is the slow legal track running underneath every land conflict in Papua.
Water sources in Kalimantan are drying up under a super El Niño, and haze has drifted over 1,000 km to Cebu in the Philippines. Seventy-two people were arrested in August on suspicion of starting fires.
About 200,000 ha burned between January and July. Haze has caused tens of thousands of respiratory infections, pushed schools online in Malaysia and reached Manila. The minister says most fires were set deliberately.
Why it matters: Fire liability is now an enforcement story: police have named 89 suspects and six permit holders face severe sanctions.
Energy minister Bahlil Lahadalia said tendering starts this year. Officials also plan to retire 13 GW of diesel plants and estimate annual savings of around US$4 billion in generation costs.
Why it matters: The headline number is huge; as of early September the regulation to implement it was still being negotiated between ministries.
Mongabay's follow-up notes that UNESCO's advisers asked Indonesia for more information on nickel mining before approving the Raja Ampat biosphere reserve in 2025.
Responding to Greenpeace, Bahlil Lahadalia said the only active permit belongs to state-owned PT Gag Nikel, which predates his tenure, and that the other permits were revoked in 2025.
Why it matters: Government and NGOs disagree on whether pending applications count as a threat. Watch for any permit decisions on Waigeo.
Greenpeace's 'Unprotected Paradise' report finds mines planned for eastern Waigeo and says the 2025 revocation of four permits fell short of real protection.
The BNSI project inside the IGIP complex is designed for 90,000 tonnes of nickel a year. Partners GEM aim to finish construction by end-2026.
Indonesia runs 253 coal plants, most of them young. Ember estimates the country would need to retire about 3 GW a year for 15 years while scaling solar fast. Campaigners say investors still don't see renewables as bankable.
The nickel miners' association APNI reported 120.6 million wet tonnes consumed in January–June, about 46% of the 260–270 million tonne quota, a sign of softer downstream demand.
Auriga Nusantara estimates over 430,000 ha were cleared last year, the highest in nearly a decade. Papua saw a sharp rise, and nearly half the loss happened inside licensed concessions.
Speaking at an Earth Day protest outside parliament, WALHI pointed to the Merauke sugarcane project as an example of forests and livelihoods lost to state-backed development.
Twelve representatives from Boven Digoel and Merauke filed an administrative objection to the forestry decree reclassifying the land, where they had already applied for customary forest recognition.
IDXCarbon recorded 117,455 tCO2e traded, almost all in the negotiated market and none at auction, even as the number of participants and available units grew.
The attorney general said the military-backed task force could collect these fines in 2026. Seized plantations go to state firm Agrinas, now the world's largest palm oil company by area at 1.7 million ha.
A long-form report on smoke, dust and health complaints around the Bantaeng Industrial Park, where several Chinese-backed smelters operate. Residents say neither companies nor government have acted.
IEEFA links thin trading to market design and unclear certification rules, and looks at how Presidential Regulation 110/2025 reshapes carbon governance.
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