Walter North, Deputy Head of Mission, US Embassy, says the US, will back climate change and renewable energy in Indonesia and Asia.

He was speaking to the first Indonesia Clean Energy Investors Forum organized with the Private Finance Advisory Network (PFAN), showcasing its services to over 130 project developers and associates in its first public event, Thursday, in Jakarta.

Peter du Pont, PFAN team leader, announced it would now focus increasing project support and financial brokering on China. Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia.

Participants welcomed that Indonesia was now a top priority for new US support for renewable energy and climate change projects in Asia.

North had said earlier this month to the Indonesian Renewable Energy Society (METI) that the US was "back in the game" on climate change for a planet in peril.

The US Congress has just narrowly passed the climate change bill, but Obama said he was very "frank and blunt" with Mrs Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, during her visit to Washington just before the vote, when both of them had urged Congress to support it, that it would take a while to turn the US into a world leader on climate change.

Congress subsequently passed the bill by only 219 votes to 212, with eight Republicans for and 44 Democrats against, a hard-fought but important victory for President Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

North confirmed the Obama administration is taking steps to re-jig the role of US international agencies including USSAID, the Import-Export (Exim) Bank, the supporting role of the US Department of Energy (DOE), and private sector support mechanisms, to help Indonesian and Asian renewable energy developers to develop their projects.

The US hopes soon to upgrade the remit of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) in Indonesia as this already works quite well in India. North said this first meeting of the PFAN network in Jakarta was an important step in the right direction.

Du Pont, based in Bangkok, but planning his team should also work from Jakarta, explained that the gap between project developers and project finance was technical, presentational and conceptual. PFAN targeted projects mostly needing from US$1 million to $50 millions.

The job of PFAN "Was to identify the fruit, wash it, polish it and present it on a platter to the investors," so PFAN gave technical help to project developers on how to put their case and access funds. This was part of the Climate Technology Initiative (CTI) in cooperation with the UNFCCC Expert Group on Technology Transfer.

Eight Indonesian project developers presented their case for investment during the meeting to a board of judges, and others plan to do so in later meetings.

The judges awarded first prize for best bid to PT Tiara Energi with a proposal for a 10 megawatts (MW) rice-husk fueled power station in Makassar, in Sulawesi. Joint second position went to PT Gikoko to help expand their landfill methane gas technology to more sites. In joint second place also came Selo Kencana Energi with an initial 10 MW geothermal project. PFAN will help these companies complete bankable proposals and mobilize funds.

The competition was judged by Dr Indra Darmawan, director of planning for agribusiness and natural resources at the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) ; Niki R Joenoes, vice president and head of investment banking of PT BNI Securities; Dr Ir. Arnold Soetrisnanto, head of nuclear project development at PT MedCo Power Indonesia and Dr Ir Verana J Wargadalam, coordinator of the renewable energy group at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry.

A panel of speakers discussed the new policy frameworks and facilities being introduced by the Indonesian government. These included Dr Ir Bastary Pandji Indra, director of public private partnership development at the National Planning Agency (BAPPENAS), Mr Askoloni director of fiscal policy at the Finance Ministry, Ir Ario Senoadji, vice president of alternative energy of state power utility PLN, Pandri Probono-Moelyo director of PT Indika Energy and Irwan M Habsjah, commissioner of PT Bank Tabungan Persiuan Nasional (BTPN).

Du Pont said PFAN would pursue further cooperation with BAPPENAS, the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, other agencies, banks and private sector stakeholders, backed by a regional networking capacity, to support Indonesian renewable energy project developers.

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