Indonesia — Direktorat Jenderal Pemberdayaan Masyarakat dan Desa (Ditjen PMD) and German International Development closed the Micro-hydo Power Technical Support Unit (MHP-TSU) project at an exclusive event on 12 December 2013.
Launched in 2009, MHP-TSU was the principal technical support mechanism for PMD’s Green PNPM (National Program for Community Empowerment) project, through which rural communities could apply for funds to construct their own micro-hydro power scheme. Over the last 3 years, MHP-TSU has assessed over 500 prospective micro-hydro power (MHP) sites across Sumatra and Sulawesi, ultimately leading to the commissioning of 120 sites. Bapak Imran Ali, PMD Acting Director for Natural Resources and Rural Appropriate Technology, confirmed that his office is responsible for over 70,000 villages across Indonesia, of which only 60% have access to electricity. “Our [PMD and GIZ] collaboration has yielded many lessons, from which other agencies and ministries benefit today, but our work of providing electricity to rural communities is far from over,” Bapak Imran remarked.
MHP –TSU was funded through Energising Development (EnDev), an international multi-donor fund to support rural energy access, and during the peak of the programme had over 30 technical facilitators and support personnel actively mentoring communities on the construction, operation, maintenance and administration of MHP installations. Over 50,000 people were provided with electricity in their homes through the project, exclusively using renewable energy resources. Robert Schultz, EnDev Senior Advisor added, “The stakeholders involved in MHP-TSU remain committed to renewable energy, to rural electrification and to Indonesia. Rather than a closure, this is more like a transition. We are here to stay.”
By: Erwina Darmajanti
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