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PLN seeks cooperation on geothermal education in Indonesia and New Zealand

PLN seeks cooperation on geothermal education in Indonesia and New Zealand Jacobs Masterclass, Sept. 2018 in Jakarta (source: ThinkGeoEnergy)
Alexander Richter 10 Oct 2018

PLN in Indonesia is seeking partnerships and collaboration on education with schools in Indonesia and in New Zealand. There are further efforts on cooperation e.g. with engineering group Jacobs and the University of Auckland's Geothermal Institute.

In order to increase knowledge and expertise in the process of geothermal utilization, PLN together with ITB and UPN hold scholarship programs and further education to deepen geothermal science.

Global energy firm Jacobs welcomed PLN’s desire with ITB and UPN to conduct joint research and internship, for further discussion will be discussed with Jacobs who is based in Jakarta.

The agreement was revealed when PLN visited New Zealand to follow up cooperation in the field of education related to the use and management of geothermal energy.

In addition to Jacobs, PLN, ITB and UPN also made an MoU agreement with the Geothermal Institute to conduct joint research dual degrees in the field of Geothermal studies, especially focusing on reservoir exploitation and management.

Other fields of study that are suitable for the PLN Masters are the Master of Energy which focuses on renewable and economic.

In addition, ITB, PLN and Auckland University’s Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) also agreed to follow up on the MoU regarding research collaboration or the possibility of a double degree, for the power system / smartgrid study area.

During a visit to New Zealand, a PLN delegation consisting of Director of Human Capital Management Muhamad Ali along with Commissioner Darmono and Budiman, Head of the Aji Employee Talent Division, Head of Power Engineering Research Group, Suwarno Harjo, Dean of the Faculty of Mining and Petroleum Engineering Sri Widyantoro, and Herianto’s Head of Petroleum Engineering Department was received by the Indonesian Ambassador to New Zealand, Samoa and the Kingdom of Tonga, Tantowi Yahya.

“Indonesia has the largest geothermal potential in the world, while New Zealand has the best experience in the field of geothermal. It is a government program to take advantage of these opportunities,” said Muhamad Ali.

Support also came from Tantowi Yahya who responded well to the PLN program and wanted to continue to communicate about this program.

“I strongly support this apprenticeship program. One of the programs is an internship at the Wairakei geothermal plant which will be held in the summer (around December), and for employees or students who take part in the internship program, the company will be given incentives,” said Tantowi Yahya.

Furthermore, the Ambassador will meet with the Ministry of Manpower so that there is a legal umbrella for the student internship program in New Zealand.

It is planned that in November there will be a conference on geothermal in the city of Rotorua, which will be re-established as a forum for the secretariat in Indonesia. Its members are experts in geothermal and energy fields. Regular meetings that lead to recommendations related to investment. In this case PLN is asked to be the leading sector.

Source: Merdeka