25 July 2017 (closed)
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Below is a list with tagged columns and company profiles.
Today's Headlines Infrastructure
The Indonesian government plans to show results of the prefeasibility study for the revitalization of the north coast railroad - that connects Jakarta and Surabaya on the island of Java - to Japan immediately after the study has been completed. Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs, said the government is expecting to start discussing the project in early August 2017.
Indonesian police informed that there were less traffic accidents during this year's Idul Fitri exodus compared to preceding years. Idul Fitri, a national week-long holiday, marks the end of the Islamic fasting month (Ramadan) and is a big happening in Indonesia. Ahead of Idul Fitri millions of workers who live in the cities travel to their places of origin to spend some days with their families. Locally, this tradition is known as "mudik" ("going home").
Perry Warjiyo, Deputy Governor of Indonesia's central bank (Bank Indonesia), believes Indonesia's gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the second quarter of 2017 will not be as high as earlier predicted because there has been a correction in Indonesia's export performance.
A large chunk of the costs for the development of Indonesia's first high-speed railway - between the capital city of Jakarta and Bandung - is covered now a consortium of Indonesian and Chinese companies signed a USD $4.5 billion loan with the China Development Bank. This loan should cover about 75 percent of the total (estimated) costs to develop this railway. In 2015 the Indonesian government, rather unexpectedly, awarded the contract for this project to China, sidestepping Japan that thought it would be appointed to establish this railway.
Tidal Bridge BV, a joint venture of Strukton International and DEC, has been awarded the contract to construct the Palmerah Tidal Bridge in Indonesia. The Dutch company will build a floating bridge in the Larantuka Strait, located in East Flores in the eastern part of Indonesia. This floating bridge will be linked to (what is set to become) the world's largest tidal power plant. The total duration of the project is estimated at four years with a final contract value of more than USD $550 million. This project is the first Dutch-Indonesian cooperation in the field of waterworks.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) kept its forecasts for economic growth in Indonesia at 5.1 percent (y/y) in 2017 and 5.3 percent (y/y) in 2018, implying it expects the trend of accelerating economic growth in Southeast Asia's largest economy to continue. The Manila-based institution mentions improvement in private investment and trade (namely expectation of rising exports) as main sources for growth of Indonesia's gross domestic product (GDP) in the years ahead.
Airport Councils International, the only worldwide trade representative of the world's airports, considers Bali's I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport the world's third-best airport in the category "airports with an annual passenger capacity of 15-25 million people in 2016". The airport's score improved from 4.74 in the 2015 edition to 4.92 in the latest edition. To continue improving its performance, the airport operator will continue to invest in airport facilities as well as supporting infrastructure.
State-owned airport services company Angkasa Pura II, which operates airports in the western part of Indonesia, says construction of the third runway of the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (located just outside Jakarta) will start in April 2017. This new runway, which requires about IDR 2 trillion (approx. USD $150 million) worth of investment, is expected to be ready for use in mid-2018. Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, the country's main port of entrance, is target of an ambitious expansion and renovation program with the aim to boost competitiveness by raising the airport's passenger capacity and flight frequency.
The government of Indonesia needs to be more aggressive and innovative to find new sources to fund its ambitious infrastructure development program. To achieve its infrastructure targets, the government will need to find ways to entice the private sector because public funds are limited. So far, however, the private sector is hesitant to engage in capital-intensive and long-term investment in a country where the investment climate is not optimal.
Cement consumption in Indonesia fell to 5.27 million tons in January 2017, down 2.3 percent year-on-year (y/y) from the same month one year ago. This decline was blamed on the intense rainfall in the nation's regions that managed to obstruct progress with various projects. Widodo Santoso, Chairman of the Indonesian Cement Association (ASI), said the decline in cement demand was seen in nearly all regions, including Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, and Nusa Tenggara.
Latest Columns Infrastructure
From Hamburg (Germany) where he visited the G-20 summit, Indonesian President Joko Widodo instructed his cabinet to increase efforts to attract investment into Indonesia. Now Indonesia recently obtained the investment grade status from all important global credit rating agencies, it should make Indonesia a more attractive investment destination for foreigners, including institutional investors such as pension funds.
Angkasa Pura I, the state-owned firm that provides airport management services in the central and eastern region of Indonesia, offers foreign and domestic private investors the opportunity to operate and develop several airports (in cooperation with Angkasa Pura I) across Indonesia: the Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Airport in Sepinggan (Balikpapan, Kalimantan), Lombok Praya Airport on Lombok, and - in the pipeline - Kulon Progo Airport in Yogyakarta (Java).
Six new 'special economic zones' (in Indonesian: kawasan ekonomi khusus, or KEK) should become operational in Indonesia soon. These six KEKs are: (1) Bitung, (2) Palu, (3) Tanjung Api-Api, (4) Mandalika, (5) Morotai, and (6) Maloy Batuta Trans Kalimantan. Indonesia's special economic zones are designated areas that offer both foreign and local investors preferential regulatory and tax regimes, as well as - in theory - the availability of key physical infrastructure such as harbors and power plants that should attract foreign investment in these zones.
For Indonesian cement producers it is vital to maintain their market share amid ongoing difficult times. With Indonesia's total installed annual cement production capacity now being around 100 million tons, while domestic demand is only expected to reach 65 million in 2017, cement players are facing weak prices amid a big oversupply, while foreign demand for Indonesian cement is yet to grow. Meanwhile, due to the arrival of various new cement players in Indonesia in recent years, competition for market share has become increasingly fierce.
The controversial Batang power plant in Central Java is expected to be completed in 2020 now all land acquisition disputes have been resolved. This USD $4.2 billion power plant experienced a long delay as about a dozen of local farmers were reluctant to sell their land to the developers of the project. In February 2016 Indonesia's Supreme Court ruled in favor of the project developers. Indonesian President Joko Widodo is a supporter of this project.
Approaching the end of 2016 it is interesting to take a look whether the Indonesian government achieved its target in terms of infrastructure development. In this column we zoom in on toll road construction. Before 2016 started the central government - under the leadership of President Joko Widodo - targeted to see the construction of 136 kilometers of new toll roads this year. However, two weeks before the end of 2016 only 44 kilometers of new toll roads have been developed this year, achieving only 32 percent of the target.
Infrastructure is the artery of the economy. Blocked arteries are life threatening. Similarly, when there is a lack of adequate infrastructure within the economy (whether in terms of quality or quantity) the economy will run in a highly inefficient manner due to high logistics costs, uncompetitive businesses (as the costs of doing business rise significantly), as well as social injustice when, for example, it is difficult for part of the population to reach healthcare facilities, or, for children to reach a school.
Labuan Bajo, a small harbor town on the island of Flores in Indonesia's Nusa Tenggara region, is considered the "new Bali" due to its huge tourism potential. Blessed with beautiful and idyllic natural scenery (including beaches and offshore islands), foreign and domestic tourists will surely have a great experience. Although there are already about a dozen of high-class hotels (4 or 5 stars) and it is fairly well connected to other parts of Indonesia (through its Komodo Airport and port), the small fishing town remains underdeveloped for now.
Construction companies in Indonesia are expected to grow strongly, supported by the availability of many new construction contracts, in the second half of 2016. Particularly state-controlled construction firms are expected to benefit from the government's push for infrastructure development. The central government's budget for infrastructure development has risen significantly in recent years (see table below), while the government also tries to direct part of the funds that are generated through the tax amnesty program toward infrastructure development.
State-controlled toll road constructor and operator Jasa Marga is expected to post rising revenue and net profit in the years to come as its toll road network is expanding amid the government's drive to push for infrastructure development, including toll road development. Recently Jasa Marga was awarded four toll road projects - all on the island of Java - with a total length of 262.3 kilometers (valued at IDR 18.4 trillion). Up to 2017 Jasa Marga plans to commission some 313 kilometers of toll road.
Associated businesses Infrastructure
