T

he New Zealand government says it will give billions of dollars to aid geothermal energy development in West Java and several other Indonesian provinces.

The statement was made by New Zealand Ambassador to Indonesia David Taylor after meeting with West Java Vice Governor Yusuf Macan Effendi at the Governor’s office in Bandung on Monday. Taylor said the aid would be disbursed over the next five years as capacity building development programs for geothermal energy in West Java and several other provinces with geothermal resources.

“All we have to do is [increase] building capacity. We have people that can help increase the skill of the people here who need the contribution of New Zealand expertise,” Taylor said after the meeting.

According to Taylor, New Zealand was also very interested in developing cooperation with the education, tourism and trading sectors in West Java.

He said that West Java was the most important province in Java, and Bandung, the capital, had a very high economic growth rate.

Yusuf said he was confident and had no doubt in the management system and contractors of New Zealand.

The New Zealand government built the Kamojang I project in Bandung regency, West Java, which was the first geothermal power station in Indonesia, providing funds and technical support for the installation, which was built in 1982.

Around 14 percent of New Zealand’s power currently comes from geothermal sources.

“We will give the same room to New Zealand to take part in further geothermal projects. We still have 14 sites which we will offer. If New Zealand wishes to invest, we would be proud,” Yusuf said.

West Java has a geothermal potential of 6,101 megawatts, or around 22.44 percent of the nation’s potential geothermal output.

However, less than 20 percent has been utilized in four locations — Kumojang, bordering Garut and Bandung regencies, Darajat Garut, Mount Salak (Bogor), and Wayang Windu in Bandung regency.

From geothermal energy, the West Java provincial administration has earned profit-sharing income of Rp 993.35 billion (about US$116.2 million), which was shared among the four participating regencies.

A memorandum of understanding will soon be signed by the West Java provincial administration and New Zealand ambassador to Indonesia to formalize the arrangement. Yusuf said planned cooperation in the field of education would include an apprentice program in the New Zealand creative industry for Indonesian youths.

“[Taylor] offered the apprentice concept: on-the-job training while studying or apprenticeships while on vacation. We will try to design a creative industry apprentice program because the creative industry there is very advanced. We will make an apprentice program at filmmaking, music and animation companies. This would be very interesting for our youths who wish to be involved in the creative field,” Yusuf said.