BALI, Indonesia — The Indonesian government has officially launched its first National Cooling Action Plan, or I-NCAP, in a move considered significant toward addressing global warming. Announced today in Bali, this pioneering inter-ministerial initiative is set to guide Indonesia toward a cooler, greener future while striving for net-zero emissions.
I-NCAP addresses five priority sectors: space cooling of buildings, food cold chains, healthcare cold chains, mobile air conditioning, and process cooling. It is guided by Indonesia’s enhanced Nationally Determined Contribution as outlined under the Paris Agreement, reflecting the country’s aspiration toward more sustainable cooling practices.
Developed with the support of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the United Nations Environment Programme, and incorporating the inputs by Sustainable Energy for All within the framework of the Cool Coalition, the I-NCAP presents a comprehensive policy roadmap towards managing growing cooling demand. It will help boost energy efficiency in cooling appliances and promote low GWP refrigerants.
“The launch of the national cooling action plan is a crucial step in our journey toward safeguarding our people from extreme heat using climate-friendly cooling solutions,” said Dr. Eniya Listiani Dewi, Director-General at the DG EBTKE under the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources. “This will become a really detailed roadmap towards decreasing energy demand and emissions, at the same time as increasing our resilience,” she said.
The I-NCAP is led by the Directorate General of New Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation (EBTKE) with wide ranges of collaboration among different national stakeholders. Hongpeng Liu, Director of ESCAP’s Energy Division, hailed the effort, saying, “Indonesia’s National Cooling Action Plan reflects the integrated approach that we need to address challenges to the SDGs in our changing climate. It is not only evidence of Indonesia’s commitment to sustainable cooling but also becomes a benchmark for other countries to have a more resilient, efficient, and climate-responsive future.”.
In 2020, buildings space cooling and the food cold chain sector alone accounted for about 79 terawatt-hours of electricity in Indonesia—accounting for 30 percent of the nation’s total consumption. Poorly designed interventions will see the electricity demand for space cooling nearly quadruple by 2040 from 62 TWh in 2020 to 241 TWh. Such an increase in space cooling demand in buildings should be limited to 57% to meet only 104 TWh by the year 2040, according to the I-NCAP, through a set of policies targeting space cooling, market enablers, regulatory action, technological and financial interventions, and capacity-building across the value chain.
Ruth Zugman do Coutto, Head of Mitigation Branch, Climate Change Division, UNEP, praised I-NCAP as a document that represents a comprehensive vision: “The I-NCAP looks at cooling across multiple sectors for thermal comfort, strengthening resilience to extreme heat, and continued safe delivery of some of life’s essentials, such as vaccines and safe food, while advancing climate action. Indonesia’s leadership in releasing this plan is to be welcomed, and continued collaboration among ministries and stakeholders is necessary for its successful implementation.”.
In the lead-up to the G20 Clean Energy Ministerial and COP29, Indonesia launches I-NCAP to act as a forerunner in the cooling sector while underscoring its commitment to innovative and sustainable cooling solutions. This would work well once the I-NCAP successfully pulls off collaborative, influential Indonesian ministries and industry stakeholders, together with international partners. “We call on the international community to partner with Indonesia in implementing this plan so that cooling access for all can be achieved sustainably. This is not only to make the future greener, but it will also reduce climate change impacts and create resilience within the sector,” added the Director-General of EBTKE.