Pertamina turns to nature-based solutions to balance climate, energy

JAKARTA, Nov 11, 2022 - ( JCN Newswire ) - State-owned energy company PT Pertamina has prepared some strategies to balance climate resilience and energy security, which include the development of nature-based solutions.

Senior Vice President of Research Technology and Innovation at Pertamina Oki Muraza conveyed this information during a discussion at the Indonesian Pavilion on the sidelines of COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Wednesday (November 9, 2022).

During the discussion, Muraza said that Pertamina has declared its commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2060, and the commitment is in line with the emission reduction policy promoted by the Indonesian government.

As part of the commitment, Pertamina is implementing two main strategies: decarbonizing all of its current businesses and building new businesses based on green and sustainable principles.

The decarbonization measures taken by the company have included pushing energy efficiency, zero-flare oil and gas activities, and carbon capture and utilization.

"Some other measures include increasing green electricity in Indonesia, building the electric vehicle ecosystem, and developing nature-based solutions," Muraza added.

He further explained that the nature-based solution policy itself is not something new to Pertamina. However, synergy is needed between nature-based solutions and the energy sector, and both should go hand-in-hand.

Nature-based solutions involve short- and medium-term policies that can support the acceleration of climate technology implementation, which is a long-term policy.

According to Pertamina, those solutions need to be considered while designing carbon mitigation strategies.

"So, we have to not only be able to capture carbon dioxide with natural plants, but also produce something... including rubber and renewable hydrocarbon products. In the end, we expect to have other products from nature-based solutions," Muraza said.

He highlighted three pillars that need to be considered in the development of nature-based solutions for realizing business resilience amid the challenges posed by climate change. The three pillars are community involvement, biodiversity and conservation, and sustainable economy.

In line with these, some vegetations that have potential as nature-based solutions, such as Calophyllum inophyllum and Pongamia pinnata, have been developed since they are beneficial for biofuel development.

In addition, the company believes that the development of the mangrove ecosystem can also be a nature-based solution because it could help absorb 264 tons of CO2 per hectare.

"We have conducted several studies with universities and government institutions on how to promote crops that can provide raw material stocks for green refineries," Muraza said.

He also outlined several initiatives, for instance, capturing methane gas, which can be used for power generation and other purposes, for example, as compressed natural gas.

In addition, the energy company is also developing other initiatives, including processing liquid waste into biomethane and solid biomass waste into ethanol.

Some more initiatives undertaken by Pertamina are the establishment of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) centers on the islands of Java, Sumatra, and Kalimantan as well as the development of geothermal utilization in Indonesia.

Contact: Brahmantya Satyamurti Poerwadi, Corporate Secretary, PT Pertamina (Persero)
Email: pcc135@pertamina.com, URL: https://www.pertamina.com
Written by: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga, Editor: Fardah Assegaf (c) ANTARA 2022