Jakarta, 24 September 2021, Jakarta — Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today inaugurated 23 ‘Energy Patriots’ who will work for 18 months as facilitators in 23 villages in the provinces of East Nusa Tenggara, Southeast Sulawesi, West Sulawesi and Central Kalimantan to develop clean and sustainable solar-powered electricity.

The 23 Energy Patriots are facilitators who are part of the ACCESS (Accelerating Clean Energy Access to Reduce Inequality) project, a joint UNDP and ESDM project supported by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). The main objective of the ACCESS project is to provide access to clean renewable electricity, particularly solar power, to remote villages in Indonesia and Timor-Leste.

Mr. Hendra Iswahyudi, Director of Electrical Empowerment of ESDM, in opening remarks noted the broad range of participants. “The 23 Energy Patriots were selected from 140 participants. These 16 men and seven women are from various educational backgrounds and generally have more than three years of experience,” he said. “Some even have more than ten years of experience in community assistance. In the village they will assist the community during the construction of the PV mini-grid; assist with the handover of PLTS assets from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources to the Village Government; facilitate the selection, training and certification of local operators and establish a village electricity management unit; and help map the economic potential of the village,” he added, outlining the role of the Energy Patriots.

The ‘Energy Patriots’ attended an online training programme, held  from 6 to 14 September 2021, as well as offline training from 20 to 24 September 2021 which included information on empowerment code of ethics, gender approach and social inclusion, participatory approach, introduction to PV mini-grid and solar infrastructure PV, operation and management of communal PV mini-grid, establishment of Village-Owned Enterprises and Village Electricity Management Units, as well as technical assistance for identification of economic opportunities in villages, and preparation of sustainability analysis.

With funding from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), UNDP’s ACCESS project, will construct 23 communal solar power plants with a total capacity of 1.2 megawatts (MW) in 23 villages in East Nusa Tenggara, Southeast Sulawesi, West Sulawesi and Central Kalimantan.

“KOICA is pleased see how ACCESS project enters a critical stage that will determine the success of the installation of renewable energy facilities in Indonesia’s remote spots. We believe it is crucial to provide support and partnership on clean energy initiatives which in turn will help closing inequality gaps and improve the lives of millions in Indonesia. We also hope the Energy Patriots will support the Project to be sustainable and beneficial to the community. KOICA is pleased to support the good cooperation between the people of South Korea and Indonesia,” said KOICA Indonesia Deputy Director, Mr Lee Jeung Wook.

“The ACCESS Project is part of efforts to promote new and renewable energy in line with Indonesia’s target to increase the share of clean renewables in the national energy mix to 23 percent by 2025. As we work together on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,  the ACCESS project’s objective of providing clean energy in remote parts of Indonesia couldn’t be timelier. I’m pleased to note that seven of these patriots are women and they also represent the voice of the youth who are sure to bring innovative, engaging processes to their advocacy efforts. In parallel, the project will develop a blueprint for rural development that goes beyond basic socio-economic support.,” said Ms. Sophie Kemkhadze, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP Indonesia.

Mr. Dadan Kusdiana, Secretary of the Director General of New, Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources echoed her remarks, stating "The Energy Patriots are expected to help the community independently manage available energy sources, identify local potentials, which can be utilized by the community at a low cost, so that our communities in remote areas can benefit.”

The ACCESS project will provide electricity for at least 20,000 people in Indonesia and Timor-Leste and will provide access to water for 3,500 people in Timor-Leste from the installation of approximately 1.2 MegaWatts of solar powered panels. Women are expected to make up 30 percent of the direct beneficiaries in the Project.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Kementerian ESDM, Chrisnawan Anditya, Direktur Aneka EBT ESDM, chrisnawan.anditya@esdm.go.id

UNDP Indonesia Communication Specialist, Tomi Soetjipto, suryo.tomi@undp.org

UNDP Indonesia ACCESS Project, Salman Nursiwan salman.nursiwan@undp.org