NZ & Indonesia building stronger energy links

Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce today witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Auckland UniServices and the Indonesian Geothermal Association in Jakarta to develop specialised geothermal training courses held in New Zealand and Indonesia.

The signing followed the Minister giving the keynote speech at the Indonesia New Zealand Renewable Energy Forum which 11 New Zealand companies are attending as part of a renewable energy mission to promote our geothermal energy expertise in the Philippines and Indonesia.

“In a world that seeks renewable energy sources to meet future demand, cooperation between our countries makes sense with both countries looking to use their considerable geothermal resources for electricity generation,” Mr Joyce says.

“The Indonesian government is committed to building its industry into a world leader based on its huge reserves of geothermal energy. This aligns well with New Zealand’s proven world-class expertise and intellectual property in geothermal energy.

“New Zealand has a long history in the geothermal energy sector in Indonesia having financed and built the first geothermal plant at Kamojang almost 30 years ago. New Zealand has also funded programmes to explore and prioritise geothermal systems across Indonesia.

“Around 160 Indonesian geothermal professionals have been trained at The University of Auckland’s Geothermal Institute and, in April 2012, Geothermal New Zealand signed an MOU with Pertamina Geothermal Energy, the Indonesian Government’s SOE responsible for geothermal energy developments.

“The latest MoU builds on the strong relationship between New Zealand and Indonesia in geothermal energy and opens up new opportunities to work together.”