Missed power plant deadline belies Jakarta's optimism

Singapore

ON A visit to Tokyo in March, Indonesian President Joko Widodo told businessmen he aimed to begin a long-delayed US$4 billion power project the following month.

This week, his coordinating minister for economic affairs took his turn. Sofyan Djalil said at an investment forum in Singapore on Tuesday he hoped work on the same Batang plant would start this month - only now it's June.

"I check day by day, and ask 'what is the problem?'" Mr Djalil said in an interview after speaking at the forum. "Now we are chasing all the details, and the devil's within the details." The delays to the 2,000-megawatt coal-fired station in central Java belie the government's optimism that it can unclog the state and private investment needed to revive growth this year. The power plant has become a test case of Mr Widodo's ability to cut through the red-tape, corruption, land disputes, conflicting l…