UK’s $5.9 million program to make Indonesian buildings energy-efficient

Official says program will help Indonesian government save $110 million in five years 

JAKARTA, Indonesia (MNTV) – The U.K. has launched the second phase of a program worth millions of dollars that will mainly focus on making Indonesia’s government-owned buildings more energy efficient, reports Jakarta Globe.

This energy efficiency campaign falls under the government-funded technical assistance program U.K. PACT (Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions). 

The second round of this program is planned to be worth around £4.4 million or $5.9 million, although these figures remain subject to change, according to Eniya Listiani Dewi, a senior official at the Energy Ministry of Indonesia.

Indonesia mandates both national and sub-national governments to manage the energy use of their buildings. 

The law also calls for specialized personnel to carry out regular energy audits on the structures.

“Such policies require [energy] auditors, and that would lead to the creation of green jobs. … We do know how President Prabowo Subianto is pursuing an 8 percent annual economic growth, but this requires us to make sure that our energy use can create multiplier effects,” Eniya told reporters in Jakarta, shortly after the second phase’s signing ceremony. 

Eniya said the government can save approximately 1.8 trillion rupiah ($110 million) by 2030 if it makes 4,000 government buildings energy-efficient over the coming years. Energy efficiency measures are also expected to help Indonesia cut 37 percent of its emissions, she added. 

Amanda McLoughlin, the U.K.’s international development director for Indonesia, said that there are other aspects to energy transition besides the often discussed shift from coal. 

“A lot of people focus on coal phase-out, or renewable [energy] scale-up, all of which are so important. But if you take energy efficiency measures, you can reduce emissions by 37 percent,” McLoughlin said.