Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Economic Coordinating Minister Hatta Rajasa said Indonesia and the United States are discussing investment cooperation in renewable energy replacing alternative energy in the years ahead.
"We discussed renewable energy and investment. America said it was interested in technology cooperation in energy efficiency," he said at his office here Tuesday.
He also said that renewable energy cooperation could reduce power consumption, especially following the building of power turbines in border and coastal regions.
"The US was also interested in building investment in small turbines, small scale power plants which we are in urgent need for our most outer islands and fishermen`s villages.
The US is also interested in building geothermal power plants," he said.
He said the renewable energy cooperation would soon be agreed in a joint comprehensive agreement between the two countries and to be signed during US President Barack Obama`s upcoming visit to Indonesia.
In the meantime, head of the Investment Coordination Agency (BKPM) Gita Wirjawan said the US government has made a commitment for a cooperation in alternative energy development.
"They have offered anything they can help from there and bring business companies actively engaged in clean energy, whether it is for clean coal, reducing carbon emissions or reducing power consumption in general," he said.
He added that in the next five years efforts need to be made that some 30 to 40 percent of the building of 15,000 MW infrastructure will come from geothermal energy.
Economic Coordinating Minister Hatta Rajasa said that today he was visited by US Secretary of Trade Gary Locke who is in Indonesia for two days (May 25 and 26) along with a group of American businessmen in the first trade mission of President Obama`s cabinet.(*)
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