Deforestation harms hydropower production – Economy

An official from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has described deforestation as a risk to hydropower projects in Indonesia.

“What is the problem with hydropower? I recently had a discussion with the hydropower industry [players]And [one of their complaints] is the decreasing water flow,” the ministry's Director General for Renewable Energy, Eniya Listiani Dewi, told reporters on Monday.

The government is relying on hydropower, which can generate a baseload of electricity, as a key source of renewable energy to reduce the country's dependence on coal-fired power plants.

“The decline in water flow is due to deforestation of the mountains. This is happening everywhere. We have to pay attention to the upstream areas. [areas]namely [those near] “Hydroelectric power plants.”

Indonesia added 217.73 megawatts of renewable energy capacity in the January-June period, according to data from the Energy Ministry, representing 66.6 percent of the full-year target of 326.91 MW. The additional capacity will be generated mainly by hydroelectric and solar power plants.

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Harris Yahya, a senior official at the ministry's Directorate General of Renewable Energy, said soil erosion in the catchment areas above the reservoirs had led to a decline in the flow rate at the dams.