Smart city, flying cars: Doubts grow over big plans for Nusantara

Investment the biggest hurdle to realising Indonesia's ambitious capital megaproject

JAKARTA - Nusantara Capital City (IKN) is a megaproject of unrestrained ambition, as the planners of Indonesia's future capital envision facilities straight out of science fiction, from smart buildings powered by renewables to flying cars.

But questions about how realistic such plans are grow louder by the day as the inauguration deadline nears for what some say might be the single biggest contributor to President Joko Widodo's legacy.

The money to build it all is nowhere to be seen, notwithstanding the availability of almost all of the required technology. 

Nusantara in East Kalimantan is scheduled to be inaugurated in 2024, when Indonesia celebrates its 79th anniversary of Independence on Aug 17.

When asked whether its basic smart city infrastructure would be ready by then, IKN Authority Undersecretary for Green and Digital Transformation Ali Berawi answered: "Inshallah (God willing)."

Mr Ali said the basic part of building a smart city was its connectivity infrastructure, which included electricity distribution and fibre-optic Internet. As part of the first phase of construction, both are to be delivered by the city's inauguration.

Cables for these, explained Mr Ali, would be placed underground inside what are known as multiutility tunnels, which would also house the city's piping and sewerage system for convenient maintenance.