Jakarta must turn clean energy deals with Seoul into industrial strategy: Discussion

Detailed summary

The two countries had yet to progress on a series of clean energy agreements signed in April by translating them into actionable strategies, panelists told a discussion in Jakarta on Oct. 30.

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The two countries had yet to progress on a series of clean energy agreements signed in April by translating them into actionable strategies, panelists told a discussion in Jakarta on Oct. 30.

ndonesia needs a clearer industrial strategy to turn its clean energy cooperation with South Korea into domestic investment and technological gains, analysts say, amid the perceived sluggish progress in implementing bilateral commitments made earlier this year.

Jakarta and Seoul signed 10 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) in April, including agreements on clean energy, critical minerals and carbon capture, as both countries sought to deepen economic ties and cooperation in strategic industries.

Nearing the year-end, however, the agreements have yet to translate into significant results, according to Gahee Han, head of energy market and policy at Solutions for Our Climate (SFOC), a nonprofit based in Seoul.

“Since the signing of that MoU, we haven’t seen much progress yet between Indonesia and Korea,” Han said on Oct. 30 at a discussion in Central Jakarta she attended via teleconference.

The MoUs were signed during President Prabowo Subianto’s state visit to Seoul, where he and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung agreed to elevate their bilateral relations to a special comprehensive strategic partnership, a first for both countries.

Among the agreements, clean energy cooperation drawing on Indonesia’s natural resources and South Korea’s technological capabilities was central to support each country’s energy goals, including through carbon capture and storage (CCS) and renewable energy projects.

The agreements built on existing industrial ties, including a battery cell manufacturing plant with an annual capacity of 10 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electric vehicle batteries, inaugurated in 2024 by South…

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