New partnership to accelerate Indonesia’s renewable energy transition

From left: Front – Assistant Deputy Vice-Chancellor International (Indonesia) Prof Vedi Hadiz, Professor Frank Vetere (FEIT), Mr Yusuf Didi Setiarto (PLN). Rear – Melissa Banks (Austrade), Mr Dedi Budi Utomo and Mr Ridho Utomo (PLN).

The University of Melbourne has partnered with Indonesia’s government-owned electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PT PLN) (Persero) to help the corporation transform its workforce and achieve its net zero emissions goal by 2060.

A Memorandum of Understanding will see the two organisations explore a range of engagement initiatives that will also offer education and research opportunities for University of Melbourne students and staff.

PT PLN is Indonesia’s national electricity company – generating, transmitting and distributing electricity across the country. Presently, PT PLN’s power generation is 85 per cent fossil fuel based. PT PLN will collaborate with the University through sponsoring staff for postgraduate studies in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology (FEIT), Melbourne Law School and the Faculty of Business and Economics, and through creating custom education offerings.

Assistant Deputy Vice-Chancellor International (Indonesia), Professor Vedi Hadiz, and FEIT Deputy Dean (Engagement), Professor Frank Vetere, co-signed the MOU with PT PLN’s Director of Legal and Human Capital, Mr Yusuf Didi Setiarto.

"This collaboration opens numerous opportunities for PT PLN's employees and technology institutes to gain broad access to knowledge, information and research that can be implemented for the purpose of achieving net zero emissions and sustainable PT PLN business growth," Mr Setiarto said.

Professor Vetere said the partnership was well aligned with “our own sustainable development goals and extends the University of Melbourne’s research network in Indonesia".

The delegation met with the FEIT Associate Dean International Professor Shanton Chang and academics from FEIT Infrastructure and Mechanical Engineering to discuss a range of joint research initiatives, including Battery Energy Storage Systems and an opportunity for PT PLN to join an in-progress application for a new Australian Research Council Industrial Transformation Training Centre.