WALHI Bali presses for LNG project records in Ngurah Rai mangroves

Denpasar — Environmental group WALHI Bali has reiterated demands for public access to key documents on a planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal and pipeline network in South Denpasar, saying its August 2022 information request to Bali authorities and project developer PT Dewata Energi Bersih (DEB) has gone unanswered beyond the timeframe set in Indonesia’s public information law.

According to a report citing WALHI’s executive director Made Krisna Dinata, the group sent a letter dated 11 August 2022 to Bali Governor I Wayan Koster and PT Dewata Energi Bersih seeking studies and agreements for the terminal and associated infrastructure planned in and around the Ngurah Rai Forest Park mangrove conservation area in South Denpasar.

In comments reported on 15 September 2022, Dinata said more than 21 working days had passed since the letter was sent, exceeding the 10-day deadline he said was mandated for responses under Indonesia’s Law No. 14/2008 on public information disclosure. He framed the request as part of efforts to secure meaningful public participation in decisions affecting the mangrove ecosystem and nearby communities.

Documents requested on LNG terminal and pipeline

WALHI Bali’s letter asked for access to feasibility studies for the LNG terminal, with particular focus on pipeline studies involving works beneath mangrove areas, along with all attachments and other supporting documents. The organisation also sought information on supporting facilities for the terminal and the pipeline network proposed to cross the Ngurah Rai Forest Park conservation area.

Environmental reporting on the dispute states that WALHI Bali requested copies of cooperation agreements between the Bali provincial Environmental and Forestry Agency (Dinas Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan, DKLH) and PT Dewata Energi Bersih governing the use of conservation land for the project. WALHI has argued that such agreements, together with feasibility studies and related permitting documents, should be treated as public information.

Subsequent coverage of the same dispute notes that the Bali Provincial Environmental Agency responded in a letter dated 12 August 2022 rejecting WALHI’s demands, and that WALHI only received that response on 20 September 2022. The disagreement later escalated into a formal public information dispute before the Bali Information Commission, with PT Dewata Energi Bersih arguing that the feasibility study constitutes protected trade-secret information.

Environmental and community concerns

The LNG project has drawn sustained criticism from WALHI Bali and local residents over its potential impacts on the Ngurah Rai mangrove conservation area and nearby religious and community sites. WALHI has warned that construction and operation of a terminal and associated pipelines in the coastal mangroves could damage sensitive ecosystems and undermine the area’s status as a conservation zone.

Residents of customary villages in Sanur and Sidakarya have organised protests against the project, raising concerns over environmental degradation, safety risks linked to LNG storage near populated areas and transport hubs, and possible interference with sacred sites and temples. WALHI has backed these protests, calling for greater transparency from provincial authorities and project sponsors.

Debate over the project’s location has continued beyond 2022. Bali’s provincial government has publicly acknowledged reviewing the siting of the terminal, which was initially planned within the mangrove area at Ngurah Rai Forest Park in Sidakarya. Senior national officials have also weighed in on whether the terminal should proceed in its proposed form, adding to scrutiny of the project and its compliance with environmental and spatial planning rules.

Key figures and dates

• 30 June 2022: WALHI Bali announces it has sent a public information request to the governor and Ngurah Rai Forest Park authorities regarding documents for the LNG terminal and related works in the mangrove area.
• 11 August 2022: WALHI Bali sends a further letter seeking feasibility studies and supporting documents from the governor and PT Dewata Energi Bersih.
• 15 September 2022: WALHI Bali says more than 21 working days have passed without the formal response required under public information rules, and reiterates its objections.

Sources

• Bali Discovery
• Detik Bali
• Mongabay Indonesia
• Atnews.id