MAKASSAR, Indonesia: Soaring above the cashew plantations and corn fields, 80m-tall steel towers are an alien sight in the Indonesian countryside.
Wind turbines now dominate the green ridges around Sidenreng Rappang, a rural regency about 180km north of Makassar, eastern Indonesia’s largest city.It is a land of mountains, hills and, crucially, wind, which funnels through the ranges and strengthens, creating ideal conditions for power production. The wind towers fitted with 20-tonne spinning blades cut through the air and at their peak produce 75 MW of electricity surging into the national grid.
Perusahaan Listrik Negara - the national government’s electricity distributor - has promised to connect the village by the middle of this year. But it has been a long wait for the 500-odd residents. “Electricity is still being used as a political weapon by politicians in office. Every time there’s an election, the first thing they will offer to communities is cutting down electricity prices, which is not providing a very good incentive for renewable energy development,” said UPC’s Niko Priyambada.‘I’M SURE SOUTH SULAWESI WILL CHOOSE PRABOWO’
“During his nearly five-year tenure, Pak Jokowi and Pak Jusuf Kalla always emphasise that they realize South Sulawesi is a gateway to the eastern part of Indonesia,” South Sulawesi Governor Nurdin Abdullah told CNA. “Jusuf Kalla is more a liability than a strength for Jokowi,” said Dedi Dinarto, a research associate with the Indonesia Programme at S Rajaratnam School of International Studies.It means the president leans even more heavily on the spending promises he has made in Sulawesi. But according to Dedi, a dominant regional win for Jokowi is now highly unlikely.
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