Indonesia is working hard at shaping its energy policy. The Indonesians have to address the issues of availability, affordability and sustainability of their energy supply, just like we do. This involves the building and strengthening of professional and institutional capacity for sustainable development. ECN Policy Studies co-ordinates the comprehensive CASINDO programme. “We ensure all activities are aligned in terms of content as well as of planning”, project leader Nico van der Linden says.

Following the resignation of President Soeharto in 1998, Indonesia has embarked on a process of radical reforms. A key component of these reforms is the decentralisation of the central government. The regions are given more power and more responsibilities, including responsibilities for energy policy development. At the same time, sustainability and supply security remain key priorities for the Indonesian energy policy.

Regional autonomy goes hand in hand with energy policy formulation

The regional governments in Indonesia are well aware of the importance of a reliable energy supply as basis for economic development and as a contribution to poverty alleviation. In order to achieve successful reforms, the regions have requested for assistance in formulating and implementing their energy policies. The CASINDO programme aims to provide this assistance by educating and training policy makers and by developing institutional capacity needed for the implementation of sustainable energy projects. CASINDO will be implemented in five Indonesian regions: North Sumatra, Central Java, Yogyakarta, West Nusa Tengarra and Papua.
CASINDO is implemented by a consortium consisting of ECN, responsable for the co-ordination, the Technical University of Eindhoven and ETC Nederland, all on behalf of the Netherlands. For Indonesia, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and its regional branches (DINAS Energi), two national research and training institutes (ITB and TEDC) and universities from the five regions are participating. Van der Linden: “The project team consists of six Dutch and eight Indonesian parties. Considerable consultation and co-ordination between the project partners as well as with the client will be required for thorough planning and content harmonisation of all activities." The programme is financed by SenterNovem.

Comprehensive project
In June 2009 the agreement officially starting the programme was signed. On August 26th 2009 the website www.casindo.info was launched, reporting on developments, results and (future) events. The CASINDO programme is scheduled to run for the next 2.5 years and is, as stated by project leader Nico van der Linden of Policy Studies, a comprehensive project according to ECN standards. "This means regular visits to the five target provinces and the Ministry for Energy in Jakarta, which is why the CASINDO team leader is stationed in Indonesia for a period of two years.
Furthermore, ECN is responsible in terms of content for the regional energy planning, for the development of actual sustainable energy projects in each of the five target provinces. In addition, ECN contributes to the production of a masterplan for energy conservation in the provinces. The CASINDO programme not only trains policy makers, but also develops educational curricula for universities and technical schools  to educate students on developing, using and managing sustainable energy technology. Applying the ‘train the trainer’ principle, CASINDO assists in setting up courses and training modules and prepares the teachers who will be teaching on the subject of sustainable energy at various universities and schools. Finally, ECN has an important role in disseminating CASINDO knowledge and experiences to other Indonesian provinces and other countries in that part of Asia.”

Contact
Nico van der Linden
ECN Policy Studies
Tel: +62 81392027894
E-mail: Nico van der Linden 

Info
Website: www.casindo.info
Here you can download the complete CASINDO project proposal.

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