• Indonesian Cement Sales Decline in April 2014 due to Legislative Election

    Indonesian cement sales fell 0.4 percent (year-on-year) to 4.52 million tons in April 2014. The decline in cement sales was the result of the country’s legislative election that was held on 9 April 2014 as consumers bought few building materials during the campaign period. Head of the Indonesian Cement Association (ASI) Widodo Santoso stated that a number of large infrastructure projects are currently being tendered and are thus unable to boost domestic cement sales yet.

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  • Domestic and Foreign Direct Investment in Indonesia Hit New Record

    The Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) announced on Thursday (24/04) that investment realization of both domestic and foreign direct investment have set a new record in the first quarter of 2014. Total investment realization in Q1-2014 stood at IDR 106.6 trillion (USD $9.4 billion), an increase of 14.6 percent compared to the same period in 2013 (IDR 93 trillion) and the third consecutive time that the quarterly figure exceeded the IDR 100 trillion mark. Foreign direct investment accounted for 52 percent of total investments.

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  • Attracting Investments: Rebranding the Image of Indonesia's Aceh Province

    The Regional Investment Coordinating Board said that Aceh (Sumatra), known for its strong Islamic identity, expects to receive IDR 5 trillion (USD $438.6 million) in foreign and domestic investment in 2014. In the first quarter of 2014, Indonesia's western-most province already saw IDR 2 trillion (USD $175.4 million) worth of investments. Aceh, a resource-rich province (in particular oil and natural gas), is one of the more mysterious Indonesian provinces and has had to deal with considerable negative publicity throughout its modern history.

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  • Indonesian Government Tries to Lure Investment in Geothermal Power

    In an attempt to attract investments in Indonesia's geothermal power sector, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources plans to offer higher prices for geothermal-based electricity. Based on a recommendation from the World Bank, the new proposed geothermal-produced electricity price will range between 11.5 and 29 cents per KwH and will be effective until 2025. Currently, state-owned Perusahaan Listrik Negara pays between 10 and 18.5 cents per KwH to independent geothermal power producers (feed-in tariff).

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The views expressed in these business columns are the views of the authors or the interviewed persons only and therefore do not necessarily reflect the views of Indonesia Investments. The authors are free to ventilate their opinions about the Indonesian business climate. Facts presented in these columns are the result of the author's own research or indicated sources, read disclaimer
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