Forest Energy Concept Must Not Wind Up On Shelf: Legislator

Banjarmasin, S Kalimantan, July 30 (Antara) - A legislator of the Commission IV of the House of Representatives Habib Nabiel Almusawa said he hopes the plan to develop forest as an energy source would be seriously implemented. The concept should not remain in the pipeline as many other concepts, Almusawa said here on Tuesday. Almusawa said he appreciated the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the forestry ministry and the energy and mineral resources ministry, to develop sources of renewable energy to replace fossil energy. Under the MOU , the forestry ministry would provide 400,000 hectares of production forest to supply bio-energy basic material in the next five years or 80,000 hectares per year. The energy and mineral resource ministry would prepare the concept and the forestry ministry would be the implementer. Almusawa said he hoped the government had prepared the program considering its feasibility . "We already have many MoUs and agreed on concepts for the welfare of the nation, but there are always hurdles that we always failed to implement the concepts," he said . He cited the concepts of Agriculture Bank and Farmers Insurance which wound up on the shelf . The reason is always the same that the state has no money for it, he said. He said in the case of forest energy concept, the finance could be relied not only on the government but also on the private sector. "The government should seek to encourage active participation of the private sector. Investors have to be involved and for that purpose the government could offer incentives," he said. Investors are profit oriented, therefore, in order to attract investors, investment must be profitable, he said. He said the program is potential in coping with the looming energy crisis in the country . "Consistency in commitment is needed to carry out the program to a success," hes aid. The government has long promoted programs to develop alternative sources of energy but many of the programs such as development of bio-fuel from jetropha curcas failed in implementation.