Forestry laws impede Indonesian geothermal

In Indonesia, the geothermal industry says the country needs to relax its laws to make it easier to explore for geothermal energy in protected forests if it is going to meet a target of lifting electricity demand from renewable sources. A 1999 forestry law targeting open-pit mining in conservation forests hampers geothermal projects in conservation areas. Indonesia has established two crash programs to increase power generation by 10,000 megawatts hoping to resolve chronic power shortages in the area’s biggest economy.