Indonesia, Denmark step up energy cooperation

Danish Queen Margrethe II will embark on her first-ever state visit to Indonesia at the end of October on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Indonesian media reported.

She will be accompanied by the foreign minister and the minister for energy, utilities and climate as well as a large business delegation.

During her stay in Indonesia, Queen Margrethe II is scheduled to hold talks with President Joko Widodo to discuss cooperation in maritime, agriculture, transport and energy.

Indonesia has set ambitious targets for the energy sector. Its vision is another 35,000 megawatts by 2019 - or roughly 70-80 percent more than today. Further, the electrification rate must increase and reach a minimum of 97 percent of the population by 2019. Renewable energy must account for 23 percent by 2025.

Therefore, with its own experience and adequate technology, Denmark has become Indonesia’s important partner in actualising these goals.

In the past four decades, Denmark has undergone transition from being a 100 percent fossil fuel importing country to self-sufficient in energy supply. At the same time renewable energy accounts for around a quarter of the country’s gross energy consumption.

Denmark has experienced a high economic growth since 1990 without increasing its energy consumption while at the same time reducing emission of greenhouse gasses by 25 percent, thanks to energy efficiency and new technology.

Indonesia and Denmark have been working together for a long time to find state-of-the-art solutions to energy and environmental challenges. Denmark’s 50 million USD development programme already supports the Indonesian Government with its climate change and green growth agenda.

In order to assist and support Indonesia’s energy vision, Denmark is putting more efforts and resources into developing closer cooperation with the main stakeholders in the energy sector.-VNA