Indonesia is seeking assistance from Finland to develop renewable energy, which is currently in its early stages.
Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan said Indonesia had recently begun turning to renewable energy, adding that it would be a long-term project that Finland could help develop.
“Finland has among the cheapest electricity in the Europe, so this gives us hope that using Finnish technology might make it more competitive here [in Indonesia],” Jonan said during a forum that brought together energy companies from Finland and Indonesia on Tuesday. The event was organized by the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry and Business Finland.
Finland is listed as the greenest country in the world, according to the Environmental Performance Index in 2016 and has been applauded for its advanced renewable energy sector. Forty percent of its national energy comes from renewables that include biomass, hydro, wind and solar power.
Finnish Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Anne-Mari Virolainen said the country was eager to share their experience and explore further opportunities with Indonesia.
A number of Finnish companies had worked on various energy projects in Indonesia, including in remote areas.
“This is a sign of our commitment to support the Indonesian government’s efforts to make the energy accessible to all of its citizens. At the same time, we also want to ensure that energy can be produced in a sustainable and clean manner while also using energy production as part of its management,” Virolainen said.
Gulontam Situmorang, senior advisor of Business Finland for Indonesia, said a number of projects on renewable energy had been jointly undertaken by Indonesian and Finnish companies, including the development of the Intermediate Treatment Facility (ITF) in Sunter, North Jakarta, which turns waste into energy. The project is a partnership between city-run company PT Jakarta Propertindo (Jakpro) and Finnish clean energy company Fortum.
Jonan hoped that cooperation between Indonesia and Finland in renewable energy development would not only deal with the business aspect, but human capital development as well.
“I hope that the Finnish government offers our people training in renewables to strengthen our relationship,” he said.
