VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Norwegian Ambassador to Indonesia, Vegard Kaale said that Norway is ready to strengthen cooperation with Indonesia in the renewable energy sector. This statement was made by Ambassador Kaale in a webinar entitled "Indonesia-Norway Investment Opportunities in Hydro and Solar Energy in Indonesia" which took place on Monday (7/6). In his remarks at the webinar, Ambassador Kaale said that Indonesia and Norway have established good diplomatic relations for more than 70 years, and it is hoped that good relations can continue to be developed in the form of cooperation, including in the renewable energy sector.

Ambassador Vegard Kaale further stated that the use of renewable energy, such as solar energy and hydroelectric power can reduce the impact of global warming, such as gas emissions that pollute the air. Norway has already a lot of experience with renewable energy. Around 98 percent of the country's energy sources come from hydropower to help support people's lives in Norway.

Furthermore, Ambassador Vegard Kaale expressed Norway's willingness to share experiences and information to help Indonesia achieve its target of 23 percent of using new and renewable energy by 2025. As a realization of that commitment, as many as 43 Indonesian professionals have participated in a capacity building and waterways management program at the International Center for Hydropower from Norway. In the training, the participants explored a technical management of hydropower, starting from operations, maintenance, and components of hydroelectric power plants and sedimentation handling.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Ambassador to Norway, Todung Mulya Lubis in the webinar welcomed the cooperation relationship in capacity building training. He also said that this is in line with President Joko Widodo's program which aims to realize Indonesia's transition towards the use of renewable energy. He also hopes that cooperation with Norway can be Indonesia's first step to achieve this goal.