Figure 1. The opening of the panel discussion by Dr. Jonathan Austin, New Zealand ambassador to Indonesia
The Purnomo Yusgiantoro Center (PYC) was invited to attend the panel discussion on sustainable geothermal energy, which was organized by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. The event was held on Monday, 12 August 2019 and consisted of 3 main events, namely keynote presentation and two plenary discussions. The event was started by a plenary discussion on energy transition in Indonesia. There were three speakers in this session, one from Directorate Geothermal, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, one from Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) and one from Indonesian Geothermal Association (INAGA). They mainly presented the current condition of the energy mix and geothermal energy in Indonesia. The first session resulted in several recommendations to improve the development of geothermal energy utilization in Indonesia. One of the most crucial factors that need to be focused on is the improvement of the regulations related to the economic value of geothermal energy.
The first panel discussion was followed by a presentation from the representative of Center of the State Budget (BKF). He presented the financial sector of geothermal energy in Indonesia. At last, the event was ended by a panel discussion on the indirect use of geothermal energy. The speakers were the representatives from World Bank, PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy, and Geothermal New Zealand. They explained the examples of the direct use of geothermal, including household heating, agricultural applications, and mineral extraction from the brine water. The utilization of direct use of geothermal is not significant in Indonesia, but it can be applicated to give an additional value, which might be the solution to increase the economic value of a geothermal project in Indonesia.
