Indonesia plans $40b energy projects

JAKARTA, March 4 (AFP): Indonesia plans more than 20 energy projects worth around $40 billion this year, its energy minister said Tuesday, as it tries to increase domestic refining capacity.

The projects include a bid to use coal to create an alternative to a popular imported cooking fuel.

Coal-dependent Indonesia, Southeast Asia's largest economy, is one of the world's top emitters but President Prabowo Subianto last year committed to phasing out coal power generation over 15 years and reaching net-zero emissions by mid-century.

"We have presented approximately 21 projects... with a total of around $40 billion investment," energy minister Bahlil Lahadalia said in a statement published by the presidential palace Tuesday after he met Prabowo.