This December, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was made between PT Soga Tenaga Surya (“Soga”, a subsidiary of Shire Oak International in Indonesia) and Jatim Grha Utama (JGU) to develop the rooftop solar projects in the Puspa Agro, Sidoarjo, East Java. The signing of the MoU was witnessed by the British Ambassador Owen Jenkins and the East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa.

The British Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste Owen Jenkins and the Governor of East Java Khofifah Indar Parawansa witnessed the signing ceremony at Grahadi State Building. Credit: Soga

According to the MoU, Soga will implement evaluation procedures to decide on investment to install a rooftop solar system on the JGU location. Soga agrees to invest in the rooftop solar system which is worth 375.000 US dollars (+- 10% unforeseen event) on the roof of the JGU site with a total capacity estimation of 500 KW. As a subsidiary of British company Shire Oak International, this cooperation between Soga and JGU re-enforces Shire Oak International’s commitment to accelerate the global transition to renewable energy solutions.

Shire Oak International by means of Soga will develop these rooftop solar projects in East Java with the objective to become the biggest supplier of solar energy in Indonesia. Shire Oak International has developed, financed, designed, constructed various renewable projects in countries across continents such as United Kingdom 825MW, Iraq 600MW, Colombia 1000MW, Zimbabwe 505MW, Burkina Faso 75MW, Vietnam 302MW.

This MoU is a result of a new invitation from the Indonesia Government from COP 26 commitments. Embracing the cooperation of all parties, the East Java Governor Khofifah also updated her official Instagram account with the latest information about the signing of the agreement related to renewable energy between East Java and Soga Solar Power (Shire Oak International).

“Hopefully all can encourage the progress of East Java,” Ms. Khofifah expressed her hope.

Expressing his appreciation for the cooperation, Mr. Owen Jenkins, the British Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste said that he was delighted to witness the signing of an MoU between Shire Oak International, a company from the UK, and East Java. He was optimistic that this cooperation would bring benefits in developing remote areas, especially on islands by installing solar panels.

According to Energy Tracker Asia, renewables possess huge potential in Indonesia. Renewable energy share in the power mix is significant with Indonesia being among the top five countries in the Asia-Pacific region with the highest share of renewables. Meanwhile, the energy demand across Indonesia is expected to increase by 80%, specifically, the electricity demand is projected to triple from 2015 to 2030. These facts and figures indicate that the demand for renewable energy will grow and the room for renewable energy investment is huge.

At the same signing ceremony, an MoU was also made between the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS, Surabaya, East Java) and Liverpool John Moores University (the UK) to build a technology park. This MoU proves the multilateral relationship between the UK and Indonesia, including renewable energy development, human resource and technology development, etc.

Representatives at the signing ceremony. Credit: Instagram khofifah.ip