Quiet Archipelago’s Embrace of Hydrocarbons Speaks Loudly
20 hours ago Guest Blogger
By Vijay Jayaraj
While Western leaders and climate activists obsess over the smokestacks of India and China, they ignore the quiet giant of Southeast Asia: Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous nation and an economic powerhouse, is making grand moves in securing sources for fossil fuels.
With an economy expected to expand annually by more than 5% and a population swelling to 300 million by 2030, energy demand is surging and Indonesia is relying largely on hydrocarbons to meet it. Suppliers of the energy will range from state-owned oil and gas giant Pertamina to major Western companies to new alliances with Russia and Malaysia.
A fragmented archipelago with limited “renewable” sources, Indonesia looks at fossil fuels not as a “bridge” in a contrived transition to a “green” future but as the road to economic success. Coal accounts for more than 60% of electricity generation, while oil fuels transportation and supply chains.
Indonesia’s road map is practical: build what works, scale what’s reliable, and invest where returns are guaranteed. That means oil, gas, coal and the infrastructure to move them – pipelines, refineries, tankers and export terminals.
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/07/03/quiet-archipelagos-embrace-of-hydrocarbons-speaks-loudly/
