"Green Groups Slam World Bank For Backing Indonesian Coal Plants"

"SINGAPORE/JAKARTA - Environmental groups have submitted a formal complaint to the World Bank for providing financial support for two coal-fired power plants in Indonesia, violating a pledge to stop backing fossil fuels.

The World Bank's private sector subsidiary, the International Financial Corporation (IFC), is an indirect backer of the Suralaya coal-fired power complex via its equity investment in Hana Bank Indonesia, one of the project's financiers, a coalition of green groups said on Thursday.

The Suralaya plant - already the largest in southeast Asia - has eight units in operation. Plans to build two more would emit 250 million tons of climate-warming carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the groups said a letter to World Bank compliance ombudsman Janine Ferretti."

David Stanway and Fransiska Nangoy report for Reuters September 14, 2023.

Source: Reuters, 09/15/2023