INDONESIA NOT READY TO SIGN IRENA AGREEMENT AT THE EGYPT

UNCLAS JAKARTA 001012 DEPT FOR EEB/ESC MONOSSON, OES/EGC THOMPSON DEPT FOR IO/EDA WEBBER, EAP/MTS BENAVIDEZ ENERGY FOR PI-32 CUTLER AND EERE WALL COMMERCE FOR 4430/NADJMI AND 6930/HUEPER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON ENRG KGHG SENV ID SUBJECT: INDONESIA NOT READY TO SIGN IRENA AGREEMENT AT THE EGYPT CONFERENCE REF: STATE 59969 ¶1. Dadan Kusdiana, Head of Energy for Rural or Suburban Areas at the Directorate General of Electricity, in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, told Embassy on June 15 that Indonesia has not yet made a decision regarding joining the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and was unlikely to do so by the June 28th preparatory conference in Egypt. Kusdiana was pleased that the United States is seriously considering joining IRENA, and he sees potential benefit in the organization, but cautioned that Indonesia is not ready to make a commitment. ¶2. Key Indonesian stakeholders are conducting internal discussions on IRENA, and Kusdiana highlighted that there are internal supporters of IRENA membership. Ultimately, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources will make the decision whether to join IRENA, but Kusdiana's chain of command will not be ready to present this option to the Minister in the near future. ¶3. The Indonesian government seeks assurance before it joins that IRENA will benefit Indonesia, and not merely serve as a market for developed countries' technologies, according to Kusdiana, although he did identify specific Indonesian objectives. He was receptive to the idea of capacity building in the renewable energy sector. ¶4. The government of the UAE has formally advocated with the Indonesian government regarding its proposal to host the IRENA headquarters. Kusdiana cautioned that the Indonesians will not support a headquarters proposal before they have made a formal decision on membership. NORTH