Indonesia Geothermal Sector Attracts Panax, Mitsubishi, BP, Chevron

Renewable Energy World, Leslie Blodgett, GEA, October 18, 2012

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Indonesia has had the lowest volatility in economic growth of any OECD or BRIC economy over the past decade, while its economy in the short term is conjectured at close to 7% growth per year, according to Proactiveinvestors.com.au.

Concurrently, recent efforts by the Indonesian government to attract geothermal companies seem to be having an effect. At a September meeting in Washington DC on Renewable Energy Opportunities in Indonesia, hosted by the US-ASEAN Business Council, speaker Joel Kopp (U.S. Embassy Jakarta) recounted the efforts of Indonesian leaders, who have set a separate feed-in tariff for geothermal at between 10 and 18.5 cents-per-kWh. Also, projects under 10 MW are required to be purchased by state-owned utility Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN). Kopp added that PLN has made improvements to their reliability, as well.

Australian Panax Geothermal is making strides in Indonesia. With three key geothermal projects scheduled to begin production in Indonesia over the next three to four years, Kerry Parker, managing director, commented to press on the company’s growth in Indonesia: “Panax has long recognized the investment potential in Indonesia, having launched several projects within the region and with plans to expand on our current interests,” Parker said. Projects for Panax include the recently negotiated power purchase agreements for its Sokoria and Dairi Prime geothermal projects, each with a planned initial capacity to generate 30 MW. Agreements are with Indonesian electricity regulator PT PLN and the Indonesian Government.

One company with increasing interest is Mitsubishi Corporation, which has agreed to acquire 20% shares of Star Energy Geothermal Pte Ltd ("SEGPL"). SEGPL manages operation of the 420-MW Wayang Windu Geothermal Power Project Plant in Java Island, one of the world's largest geothermal resources. This acquisition is the country’s “first entry into the Indonesian power industry and its first operation of a geothermal power plant,” according to the release. Mitsubishi could develop and operate multiple geothermal power plants in Indonesia in the future, including an expansion of Wayang Windu.

Additionally, oil and gas giant BP (UK) could expand its business in Indonesia, it said recently. Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik told The Jakarta Post the government was curious as to whether BP would enter the geothermal energy sector after US-based Chevron “had successfully become the world’s largest geothermal power producer after years of operating in Indonesia.”

Chevron Geothermal’s policy, government and public affairs manager, Ida Bagus Wibatsya was quoted that the development could create healthy competition among geothermal energy developers: “It will be very positive for the development of the geothermal energy industry as well as supporting the government’s programs on renewable energy resources.”

This article was originally published in GEA's Geothermal Energy Weekly and was republished with permission.

A geothermal energy project in Tibet. (Photo/Xinhua)

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"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version) 

“…  4 - Energy (again)

The natural resources of the planet are finite and will not support the continuation of what you've been doing. We've been saying this for a decade. Watch for increased science and increased funding for alternate ways of creating electricity (finally). Watch for the very companies who have the most to lose being the ones who fund it. It is the beginning of a full realization that a change of thinking is at hand. You can take things from Gaia that are energy, instead of physical resources. We speak yet again about geothermal, about tidal, about wind. Again, we plead with you not to over-engineer this. For one of the things that Human Beings do in a technological age is to over-engineer simple things. Look at nuclear - the most over-engineered and expensive steam engine in existence!

Your current ideas of capturing energy from tidal and wave motion don't have to be technical marvels. Think paddle wheel on a pier with waves, which will create energy in both directions [waves coming and going] tied to a generator that can power dozens of neighborhoods, not full cities. Think simple and decentralize the idea of utilities. The same goes for wind and geothermal. Think of utilities for groups of homes in a cluster. You won't have a grid failure if there is no grid. This is the way of the future, and you'll be more inclined to have it sooner than later if you do this, and it won't cost as much….”

China's geothermal energy could run the country for 260,000 years

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2012-10-07

A geothermal energy project in Tibet. (Photo/Xinhua)

China holds potential geothermal energy between 3,000 and 10,000 meters below the surface of the earth equal to 860 trillion tons of standard coal, a storage which is estimated to have a lifespan of 260,000 years using current figures for energy consumption.

The Ministry of Land and Resources underwent a national survey on the distribution of geothermal energy over the country between 2009 and 2011, re-evaluating the storage of shallow geothermal energy in 287 cities, geothermal energy in 12 sedimentary basins and 2562 hot springs regions, as well as the potential hot-dry-rock geothermal power at between 3,000 and 10,000 meters below the surface of the earth, reports our sister newspaper the China Times.

The results showed that the total shallow geothermal energy storage is commensurate with 9.5 billion tons of standard coal. The usable part is about 350 million a year, which can save 250 million tons of standard coal and reduce 500 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions in a year if the energy is fully exploited and used.

The geothermal power in sedimentary basins is commensurate with 853 billion tons of coal, while the usable part for a year is equal to 640 tons of standard coal, which can reduce 1.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide emission a year.

The survey found the total geothermal energy stored between 3,000 and 10,000 meters below the surface of the earth is about equal to 860 trillion tons of standard coal, which is 260,000 times China's total energy consumption a year.

Geothermal energy is a kind of renewable energy, originating from the original formation of the earth and radioactive decay of minerals. The ministry said the country is moving slowly to exploit the rich energy and need to push the reusable project soon.

A report by Massachusetts Institute of Technology said the United States only has to exploit 2% of its geothermal energy between 3,000 and 10,000 meters below the surface of the earth, which is able to offer electricity equal to 2,500 times the country's total electricity consumption a year.

Related Article:

"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)

“…  4 - Energy (again)

The natural resources of the planet are finite and will not support the continuation of what you've been doing. We've been saying this for a decade. Watch for increased science and increased funding for alternate ways of creating electricity (finally). Watch for the very companies who have the most to lose being the ones who fund it. It is the beginning of a full realization that a change of thinking is at hand. You can take things from Gaia that are energy, instead of physical resources. We speak yet again about geothermal, about tidal, about wind. Again, we plead with you not to over-engineer this. For one of the things that Human Beings do in a technological age is to over-engineer simple things. Look at nuclear - the most over-engineered and expensive steam engine in existence!

Your current ideas of capturing energy from tidal and wave motion don't have to be technical marvels. Think paddle wheel on a pier with waves, which will create energy in both directions [waves coming and going] tied to a generator that can power dozens of neighborhoods, not full cities. Think simple and decentralize the idea of utilities. The same goes for wind and geothermal. Think of utilities for groups of homes in a cluster. You won't have a grid failure if there is no grid. This is the way of the future, and you'll be more inclined to have it sooner than later if you do this, and it won't cost as much….”

Korean agency offers $700,000 for green school project

The Jakarta Post, Elly Burhaini Faizal,  Jakarta, Fri, 05/18/2012

Marking its first ever joint cooperation with the Education and Culture Ministry and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) is launching a Green School Action Project to help accelerate the development of environmental education in schools in Indonesia.

KOICA Indonesia Office representative, Sungho Choi, said Friday that the Green School Action Project was a collaborative and supportive scheme for the Indonesian government delivered by the KOICA and UNESCO Jakarta office on behalf of the Korean government.

This program is aimed at helping to build the capacity of Indonesian teachers to raise awareness on sustainable development in schools.

“Combating climate change is now the global concern in which joint efforts are essential. No country or region is free from this global issue. It’s highly appropriate for us to invest in education for sustainable development as climate change is not only about changing the environment but it can also lead to poverty,” said Sungho Choi on the sidelines of a three-day regional workshop for “Green Action in East Asia: Centered on Teacher Capacity Building for Climate Change Education”, which began on Friday.

For the project, he said, the KOICA had contributed US$700,000 for building capacity among teachers from 20 pilot schools in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, through education on climate change and sustainable development.

About 160 participants from seven countries, comprising Brunei Darussalam, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam, are attending the workshop. Teachers from the 20 pilot schools for the Green School Action Project in Banjarmasin are also taking part in the event.

“Supporting environmental management and sustainable development is one of the core sectors in bilateral cooperation conducted by the KOICA. I sincerely hope that we can continue to closely work on sustainable cooperation and environmental education to address the impacts of climate change,” said Sungho Choi.

Under the Adiwiyata program, which was launched in 2006, the Environment Ministry, in cooperation with the Education and Culture Ministry, has created green school communities that are able to manage and protect the environment partly to support sustainable development programs that the government is currently working on.

“We know that the Indonesian government already has a good program on green schools called Adiwiyata. We hope that the Green School Action Project can add increased values to that work,” said UNESCO Jakarta’s head of education division, Anwar al-Said.

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Panasonic donates 1,000 eco-friendly light bulbs to Indonesian village

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Thu, 04/26/2012

Japanese electronics firm Panasonic is calling on Indonesians to save energy and cut down on carbon dioxide emissions, through its "Eco Ideas" program of corporate social responsibility for villages.

"We are working together with an electronics retail company, Electronic City, to donate about 1,000 eco-friendly light bulbs to 651 household heads at Warung Kadu village in Purwakarta regency, West Java, where each family will receive three light bulbs," said Ronny Heribertus, Panasonic’s company spokesman, as quoted by kompas.com.

The 11-watt sustainable light bulbs can generate the kind of light similar to a 60-watt bulb. These so-called "eco spiral" bulbs can save 80 percent of electricity and last 10 thousand hours.

Panasonic's "Eco Ideas" program aimed to help Indonesian communities change their energy-consumption patterns so that they could save on energy, Ronny said on Tuesday.

Govt Pairs With F Cubed for Safe Drinking Water Project

Jakarta Globe, March 17, 2012

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The Indonesian government has announced it will partner with sustainable water technology firm F Cubed to set up solar-powered desalination kits across the country.

Indroyono Soesilo, secretary at the office of the coordinating minister for people’s welfare, said on Thursday that there was an urgent need to provide a sustainable and reliable source of clean water in villages and isolated communities nationwide.

The decision to partner with F Cubed, he said, was crucial in this respect. “We need to immediately find a solution to providing clean water in areas that experience chronic water shortages,” he said.

He said the Australian company would work with the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) to set up its Carocell solar-powered desalination kits throughout the country.

Peter Johnstone, the F Cubed founder and chief executive, said the desalination technology that his company had pioneered was proven to produce high-quality drinking water.

“Our technology can turn water from any source, be it seawater, groundwater, polluted or even contaminated water, into clean, potable water,” he said. “And because it runs on solar power, the water can be produced at a very low cost.”

Among the other benefits of the Carocell system that the company touts are that it “emits no greenhouse gas emissions, uses no chemicals, no costly membranes, no filters, no electronics and no ongoing power source is required other than solar radiation.”

The system is based on a single or a series of low-cost solar panels that can be mounted on the roof of a building or on the ground. The water goes into a feeder pipe running along the top of the panel, then is allowed to run down in evenly dispersed streams to the bottom of the panel.

As it flows down, it gets heated by the solar panel and vaporizes, condensing on the inside of the panel enclosure and eventually dripping out through a clean water outlet pipe.

F Cubed claims the distillation process, high temperatures and exposure to ultraviolet light kill any bacteria and germs in the water. The company also says its panels have double the solar efficiency of similar water purification systems.

The smaller of its two types of solar panels, with a surface area of three square meters, can produce up to 20 liters of clean water a day, while the larger panel, at six square meters, can produce double that amount.

Each panel converts 30 to 40 percent of the feed water into clean water.

The whole cycle can be carried out six times, after which the remaining fluid, with a high salt concentration, is crystallized to produce salt, as part of the F Cubed’s “zero liquid discharge” technology.

Johnstone said the Carocell panels were already in use in 26 countries, including Malaysia, India and Bangladesh.

“We are currently assessing building a factory in Indonesia with investment of around $10 million,” he said. “We want to participate in efforts to improve people’s welfare by providing clean water and creating jobs.”

F Cubed says that because the system runs entirely on solar power, there are no mechanical parts and no electronics, making it ideal for installation in remote, rural areas, as well as for use in disaster relief situations.

Antara 

Indonesian Garbage Project Helps to Save the Climate

Jakarta Globe, Christiane Oelrich, January 01, 2012

A man perches on a makeshift raft on a river covered with trash as he
 searches for materials to recycle, north of Indonesia's capital, Jakarta
 in this file photo. Residents in Tangerang are taking trash collection into
their own hands. (Reuters Photo/Supri) 

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Tangerang. Crouched and concentrated, August and Karma rip open knotted plastic bags at the foot of a big pile of rubbish.

Yoghurt cups, paper packaging, plastic, pineapple rinds, cabbage leaves, chicken bones and the like fall out. The young Indonesian men begin sorting. Organic material goes to one side, and bottles, plastic and paper to the other.

“A super job,” remarks Karma, 23. “Finally, reliable work.” The two sort their rubbish and that of their neighbors, too. For the past year, the 325 families in Griya Serpong — a working class housing area of Tangerang, a city some 40 kilometers south-west of Jakarta — have been disposing of their garbage themselves.

Municipal garbage collection was never reliable, and the residents used to dump their refuse in a vacant field — a paradise for rats, flies, mosquitoes and snakes.

Everything is different now. The roofed garbage sorting facility is a source of local pride.

“It’s got a lot cleaner here,” notes Ulil Albab, the project’s honorary chairman.

“Nobody wanted to have anything to do with rubbish before. Now we bring school kids here and show them how to compost,” Karma says.

Residents built the facility with the help of BEST, a local non-governmental organization focusing on urban poverty and community development, and BORDA (Bremen Overseas Research and Development Association), a German non-profit organization that aims to improve the living conditions of disadvantaged communities and to keep the environment intact.

At a monthly cost per family of 12,000 Indonesian rupiahs, or a little over 1 dollar, August and Karma sweep through the alleyways of Griya Serpong with their moped and trailer every day collecting garbage — 400 kilograms of it.

They compost all organic refuse at the sorting facility. It is then sold along with the plastic, glass and paper.

Agathe, 35, has made a business out of rubbish. She collects discarded detergent and noodle bags. She and her girlfriends fashion colorful handbags and wallets from them.

When everything of value has been separated out of the housing area’s refuse, no more than 30 percent remains. It is taken to a tip.

BEST Director Hamzah Harun Al Rasyid is pleased. “It’s a win-win situation,” he says. “The housing area is cleaner, there are new jobs, and there is considerably less rubbish, so we’re reducing methane emissions from the garbage tips.”

Karma and August constantly turn over the compost pile, which aerates it. This helps prevent the formation of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that makes garbage tips a big contributor to global warming.

As Indonesia’s population grows rapidly, so do the piles of garbage that are produced by the country’s more than 240 million inhabitants.

While recycling is a booming industry — for example in Germany, where it generates some 67 billion dollars in revenues annually — almost all of the Indonesian garbage is incinerated or dumped in open tips.

About 1.8 million tons of garbage is likely to be produced daily worldwide by 2025, according to BORDA. In Indonesia, 62 percent of the refuse is organic and could be composted. But there is no large-scale sorting of refuse.

Facilities like the one in Griya Serpong are catching on. The twenty-first one is to be inaugurated in the near future, and many other communities are clamoring for their own.

“We estimate that each facility like this reduces methane by 132 tons a year,” said Jati Kusumowati, who works at the BORDA office in the city of Yogyakarta. “We think they ought to be promoted internationally as well.” One way to do this might be via the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) set out in the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, which allows industrialized countries to meet their emission--reduction or limitation commitments in part by paying for emission cuts in developing countries.

A one-ton reduction in methane would earn about 13 to 16 dollars, according to Kusumowati.

But small projects such as the one in Griya Serpong would not clear the technical and bureaucratic hurdles necessary for them to be officially recognized. BORDA is now trying to get the requirements for small projects loosened.

DPA

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Three Cianjur sub-districts soon to have new solar power plants

Antara News, Sat, April 30 2011

Cianjur, West Java (ANTARA News)- At least 96 solar power plants (PLTS) will soon be built by the West Java Energy and Human Resources Agency in three sub-districts in South Cianjur.

The statement was made by head of Cianjur energy and human resources services Ano Kusmana here on Friday as a follow up of the West Java provincial administration`s efforts in supplying energy for the rural population planned since 2003.

He also said his side is developing a program of developing new solar and alternative power plants known as hydro- and micro-power plants (PLTMH).

The areas covered by the PLTMH program in Cianjur, he said, include Sukamanah village in Cikadu sub-district, for power supply to 135 houses, while the PLTS program will cover Pamoyanan village, Cibinong sub-district with a total of 60 power plants, Gelar Anyar village, Pagelaran sub-district 6 PLTS, and Karangtengah village, in Tanggeung sub-district 30 PLTS.

The new and alternative energy program, he added, is expected to give a benefit by increasing alternative power supply to the regencies in the area.

Besides, he added, it will also boost the economic growth of the villages and their industries as well as improving the quality of education and health.

Editor: Aditia Maruli

PLN to install solar panels for 340,000 customers

Rangga D. Fadillah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 04/08/2011

State electricity utility PT PLN has targeted to install solar panels for 340,000 new customers in eastern Indonesia this year with a total investment of around Rp 1.2 trillion (US$138.76 million), a senior official reveals.

PLN operational director for eastern Indonesia Vickner Sinaga said Friday that using solar panels was the best solution to provide electricity to people living in less developed areas in the eastern part of the country.

“By using solar panels, customers only need to pay Rp 35,000 per month to PLN. The price is cheaper compared to Rp 90,000 each family has to spend per month to buy kerosene for petromax lamps,” he told reporters at a media briefing at his office in Jakarta.

Currently, 1,234 customers in eastern Indonesia use solar panels in their houses, Vickner said. New customers should not worry about funds to buy the solar panels because PLN would provide them free of charge, he added.

“The price of a solar panel package is Rp 3.5 million comprising the panel, pipes, cables and three lamps. PLN will provide customers with the package,” he explained.

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Japan grants rp1.8 billion for environmental project

Antara News, Thu, March 10 2011 

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Japanese embassy in Jakarta had given aid worth not less than 19.2 million yen (Rp1.8 billion) for two "Jakarta, Clean & Safe!" projects to enable the capital city to have a better environment.

The assistance was handed over by Ambassador Kojiro Shiojiri during the signing of a contract at the Japanese embassy in Jakarta on Wednesday.

"The Japanese government has given the grant for two environmental projects for Jakarta to the Nahdlatul Ulama disaster and climate change mitigation institute and the Community Foundation for Sustainable Peace and Welfare," a press release received by ANTARA said.

The first project is a technological promotion on waste disposal in West Jakarta and the second project is to increase the ability of waste collection and separation in the last waste disposal location in Bekasi, the release said.

"The first assistance covers equipment to increase waste processing at the existing compost facility and the dissemination of information from waste processing information and compost facilities to the people," the release said.

"The second assistance is the supply of equipment needed for the waste selection process efficiently in Bekasi," he said.

Editor: B Kunto Wibisono

President asks Papua to finish its mega project concept soon

Antara News, Monday, November 22, 2010 01:49 WIB

Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has asked Papua and West Papua provinces to finish their mega project concepts soon for presentation to the central government early in January 2011.

The president made the call in his address at the opening of a budget accountability and financial management course for Papua and West Papua regional administrations here on Sunday evening.

The mega project plan in Papua covers an integrated agribusiness area in Merauke and the development of a green economic area in Embrano and Jayapura.

In the meantime, the mega project plan in West Papua covers a cattle industry area, a cement factory and electricity power plants in Manokwari, Fak Fak and Sorong.

"I hope the mega project concepts could be presented to me by the Papua and West Papua governors at the end of December or early in January 2011," the president said.

President Yudhoyono hoped that the mega projects would have been realized in a medium term and would have a big impact on national economic growth, of course the economic growth of the two provinces in the eastern Indonesia region.

In his address, the president praised the progress of development in Jayapura as he could witness changes after he visited the province in 2006.

The president called on the governors of Papua and West Papua to involve all relevant parties in carrying out development in the Indonesian eastern provinces.

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Volcano a no-smoking area

smh.com.au, Will Carless, November 5, 2010 - 5:29AM

Nobody is allowed to smoke in the Sampoerna Rescue camp.

The cluster of leaky, ash-covered canvas tents that has been set up in a muddy field here, on the slopes of erupting Mount Merapi in Central Java, has been designated a smoke-free zone by volunteers and employees of Sampoerna, one of Indonesia's largest tobacco companies.

The camp is one of the only places here in Java, where almost two-thirds of adult males are addicted to cigarettes, and where smoking is tolerated everywhere from airport lounges to children's play parks, that you can't smoke.

The company, which has been owned by Philip Morris since 2005, paid for the camp, the flashy four-wheel drive vehicles parked in front of it, and the cluster of eager staffers wearing natty red and black uniforms covered with company logos.

The team is one of several emergency response efforts organised by large Indonesian corporations in response to the devastating series of eruptions that have so far killed 44 people and displaced more than 77,000 rural residents in the last week.

On Thursday, as the volcano unleashed its biggest explosion yet, killing five more people, the mountainside crawled with expensive ambulances, water purification trucks and four-wheel-drive vehicles, all provided by the companies.

Businesses as diverse as Jakarta-based conglomerate Artha Graha, telecommunications giant Telkomsel and state oil company Pertamina provided the vehicles, which, like the uniforms of the squads of employees who operate them, are typically emblazoned with corporate logos.

Known here as "corporate social responsibility" efforts, the disaster relief teams aim to augment efforts by a stretched Indonesian government to house, clothe and feed evacuees from the volcano.

Representatives of the companies working on the mountain said their efforts are entirely altruistic, and baulked at any suggestion that the aid teams double as a marketing campaign for the companies.

But local residents and evacuees were not so sure.

"Why can't they just do the good stuff, but without the advertising?" asked 18-year-old Anin, who like many Indonesians only uses one name and who was volunteering at an evacuation camp opposite the Sampoerna camp in her home village of Harjobinangung.

"Why can't they just use plain white vehicles or something?"

Earlier this week, police and military officers tore down hundreds of banners and advertisements for political parties that had quickly sprung up on main streets in the evacuation zone.

The removal of the advertisements, which had rankled local residents and evacuees, came after a local official said they had been erected without permits.

Aprilianto, a 31-year-old evacuee from the slopes north of Harjobinagung, said the government should apply the same rules to private companies that have erected banners and tents displaying their corporate logos.

"The companies are taking advantage of the situation, so why should they be treated differently?" Aprilianto said.

Inside one of the Sampoerna tents, Herman Sudjarwo, a general practitioner who usually works in a private hospital in the city of Surabaya in East Java, attended to evacuees in a makeshift clinic.

He said most of the 90 to 100 patients he sees a day are suffering from breathing difficulties attributable to the high levels of volcanic ash and dust that have rained down from the volcano's crater.

Asked whether he sees any irony in a cigarette company providing free medical checkups, Sudjarwo giggled.

"This is to balance it out," he said.

Arief Triastika, a national coordinator for Sampoerna's community development efforts, who has been managing the camp on Merapi, said his company is only interested in providing assistance to people affected by the volcano and is not using the disaster as a promotional opportunity.

Sampoerna maintains three disaster management teams on the island of Java and has dispatched crews of volunteers to disasters all over Indonesia since 2002, Triastika said.

The company has helped provide food, medical equipment and logistical aid to victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the 2006 tsunami in West Java, earthquakes in Padang and Yogyakarta and floods across Java in 2010, he said.

Asked if skeptical evacuees have criticised his efforts, Triastika shook his head vigorously.

"At the moment we don't have that criticism. And we keep giving the best we can do for the community," he said.

When employees and volunteers want to smoke at the Sampoerna Rescue camp, they have to leave the tents, even if it is pouring with rain, Triastika said.

The camp is a de facto medical clinic, he said, and therefore must be kept sterile.

Locals eyeing the tents and the Sampoerna banners from an evacuation camp across the street had other ideas about the Sampoerna effort, however.

Asked if he had ever thought to approach the camp volunteers for free cigarettes (the company does not hand out cigarettes), Aprilianto's eyes lit up.

"No," he said as he stubbed out a rival brand's clove cigarette. "Do they do that?"

PLN provides solar power generators for Mentawai

Antara News, Wednesday, November 3, 2010 21:11 WIB

Padang, W Sumatra (ANTARA News) - State-owned power utility company PLN provided 60 sets of solar power generators (PLTS) for the victims of earthquake and its subsequent tsunami disasters in Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra, a PLN official said.

"The 60 sets of PLTS will be sent to the evacuation centers to provide the victims with lighting," PLN Operation Director for Western Indonesia Harry Jaya Pahlawan said here on Wednesday.

He said that one set of PLTS consisted of three 100 watt lamps and one solar panel. "Each PLTS is able to turn on a 300 watt lamp and could last for 6 to 8 hours," he said.

Harry said that the PLTS were badly needed by the disaster`s survivors which were not staying at refugee camps. After all the power generators (PLTG) network in Sikakap subdistrict, Mentawai district, had not yet functioned.

On October 25, 2010, a magnitude-7.2 earthquake and a subsequent tsunami hit the Mentawai Islands district, West Sumatra, killing at least 408 people and caused no less than 303 others to go missing.

A total of 270 people are seriously injured and 142 lightly injured in the disaster. The 7.2 magnitude temblor and the tsunami devastated 517 buildings and cast minor damage to 204 buildings.

A total of 22,595 residents of the total 26,004 dwelling in Bumi Sikkerei were reported to be evacuated in safe places.

Ministers’ wives launch village program

Erwida Maulia, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta | Thu, 09/30/2010 10:09 AM

First Lady Ani Yudhoyono and Cabinet ministers’ wives launched on Wednesday a program called Prosperous Village, which is aimed at empowering villagers with the help of university students.

The pilot project launched in Hargotirto village, Kulonprogo regency, is a joint undertaking between the Solidarity of Unity Cabinet Ministers’ Wives (SIKIB) and Yogyakarta’s Gadjah Mada University (UGM).

“We hope the scheme can serve as an example for other villages in Indonesia,” UGM rector Sujarwadi said in a speech.

The project is a collboration between five major programs of SIKIB and the student-run UGM rural field work program.

Ani said the SIKIB had been developing five major programs aimed at improving health, creativity, education and social and environmental awareness among the less-privileged.

“The five programs are expected to help Indonesia meet its MDGs [Millienium Development Goals] targets. We try to do simple but concrete jobs,” she said, citing as example the SIKIB’s dispatching of a number of “smart cars” (mobile libraries) to several regions and the establishment of “smart houses” (small libraries) in others.

She said university students taking part in the implementation of the Prosperous Village scheme would also benefit from it because it would give them the opportunity to put what they learned at school into practice.

“And with their villages being developed, we hope the youths will stay there and support the development instead of leaving the villages to seek jobs in big cities,” Ani said.

Hargotirto, which is home to more 1,900 families, is located in rural Yogyakarta, about an hour drive from the provincial capital. Most of its population work as farmers arning on average US$2 a day.

The scheme has built the community center a “smart house”, which combines the functions of a library and an Internet cafe, and a small traffic education center where children can learn about road signs and rules.

Related Article:

First lady to inaugurate `prosperous village" in Yogyakarta

First lady to inaugurate `prosperous village" in Yogyakarta

Antara News, Wednesday, September 29, 2010 13:34 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - First Lady Ani Yudhoyono is scheduled to make a one-day working visit in Yogyakarta, to inaugurate a "prosperous village" program.

The "prosperous village" program is located near Sermo Dam, Hargotirto village, Kokap sub district, Kulon Progo District, Yogyakarta, and has been developed with the cooperation of Gadjah Mada University.

The First Lady is expected to present a car and five motorcycles to a representative of the university, and to symbolically plant a tree in the village.

Herbal Plants to be Cultivated in Perhutani Areas

Tempo Interactive, Tuesday, 28 September, 2010 | 20:41 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Semarang: Agriculture Minister Suswono said herbal plant farmers can use the state forest company, Perhutani’s space to cultivate herbal plants. Suswono was responding to farmers’ complaints about the little area they had to work on. “Please contact the local Perhutani to use the land for herbal plantations,” Suswono said during a meeting dialog with farmers in Ungaran, Semarang, yesterday.

Suswono said Perhutani has a program called “Managing Forests Together with the People,” through which farmers are allowed to utilize Perhutani areas to plant herbal plants among the existing hard plants. Seman, a farmer from Karanganyar, complained about the lack of area for herbal plant cultivation. “If only the farmers had the space and enough capital, the welfare of medicinal plant farmers would improve,” he said.

SOHIRIN

New technology generates electricity from exhaust gases

RNW, 26 July 2010 - 10:44am

A Dutch company has developed a device which recycles unused exhaust heat. The Tri-O-Gen ORC converts residual heat into electricity using the Organic Rankine Cycle.

This cycle first converts all kinds of residual heat into vapour. This expands in a turbine connected to an electric generator. The system uses no fuel except for exhaust gases or other sources of residual heat which would otherwise disappear into the atmosphere.

The installation can improve the electrical output of an engine or gas turbine by 20 percent - a huge improvement on previous methods which were limited to increases measured in tenths of a percent. It requires minimal maintenance and has no adverse effects on the environment.

The device is the result of nine years of development, experiment and sustainability testing in collaboration with the Technological University of Delft, the TNO research institute and the National Aerospace Laboratory.

The output of a single ORC is enough to meet the consumption of 300 households.

Tri-O-Gen calculates that if all the unused heat in the Netherlands were converted into electricity this way, the country would need one less coal-fired generator.

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Newmont sets aside $30 million for CSR

Antara News, Sunday, July 11, 2010 15:28 WIB

Kuta, Bali (ANTARA News) - PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara (PTNNT),  local subsidiary of US mining giant Newmont, has allocated US$38 million in funds for corporate social responsibility (CSR) program this year.

The funds would be used to finance community development near mining sites and in the rest of West Nusa Tenggara province, Kasan Mulyono, the company`s public relations manager, said at a mining workshop here on Sunday.

Part of the funds would be used to develop a number of schools which would be part of Islamic Center in West Nusa Tenggara, renovate Jami At-Taqwa Mosque in Sumbawa and develop a referential hospital, he said.

"Through the various activities, the people can hopefully benefit much from the presence of PTNNT in West Nusa Tenggara," Kasan said.

He said since the company started operating in the province a few years ago it had contributed a lot to the economic sector by paying taxes and royalties and increasing its spending on locally-made goods.

In the 2000-2009 period, the company paid US$413 million in taxes and royalties, he said.

PTNNT Community Development Manager Wagimin Sastrahadi said the company planned to increase the number of local students receiving scholarships from the company this year.

The scholarships this year would target 1,540 students, he said.

Bumi Karsa to build hydro power plants

Antara News, Friday, July 9, 2010 19:50 WIB

Makassar, S Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - Construction service company PT Bumi Karsa plans to build two micro hydro power plants in Gowa and Palopo districts, South Sulawesi, at a total cost of Rp68 billion this year.

The construction of the Gowa power plant with a capacity of 2 megawatts would cost an estimated Rp28.5 billion, Fajaruddin, the company`s director for western region, said here on Friday.

The power plant would make use of water from Tanggara River, he said.

He said the company would spend about Rp40 billion on constructing the Palopo power plant with a capacity of 4 megawatts. The power plant would take advantage of water from Kadundung River to generate electricity.

It would take one year to build the Gowa power plant and one and a half years to build the Palopo power plant, he said.

He said the company was expected to sell electrical power from the two power plants to state electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN).

He said the Gowa power plant would be able to meet power demand from 4,000 household customers, while the Palopo power plant would be able to supply electrical power to 5,500 household customers.

The company would start constructing the two hydro power plants shortly after it signed a cooperation contract with PT PLN, he said.