NZMATES News

Since its inauguration on 4 July 2022, the Pūngao Pattimura Mini-grid Laboratory has become a vital facility for supporting renewable energy education at Pattimura University (Unpatti).

Maluku Province boasts abundant renewable energy resources. However, the region remains heavily reliant on fossil-fuel power plants.

The Provincial General Energy Plan (RUED) of Maluku was established on 18 April 2022. However, its implementation still faces challenges, particularly the lack of local regulations to support renewable energy development and energy conservation. This is crucial to align renewable energy programmes with national targets.

After conducting a tidal current potential study in Tual City in 2023, NZMATES is now continuing with a study on energy potential and capacity factor calculations for tidal currents, based on three-dimensional numerical simulations in the waters of Watdek Strait, Tual City, Southeast Maluku Regency.

After completion, the supporting equipment for the Micro-hydro and Solar Energy laboratory was officially inaugurated. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Mr. Kirk Yates, Development Counsellor at the New Zealand Embassy in Indonesia, along with officials from Ambon State Polytechnic and representatives from NZMATES.

NZMATES supported tidal current research in the Saparua Strait and Rosenb

As a foundation for the importance of regional energy provision and planning, particularly the Regional Energy General Plan (RUED), NZMATES conducted an advanced training session on the Low Emissions Analysis Platform (LEAP) for staff at the Energy and Mineral Resources Office (ESDM) of Maluku Province.

As part of its efforts to advance education in the field of renewable energy, Politeknik Negeri Ambon (Polnam) held a workshop on the development of a renewable energy curriculum from 16-17 September 2024.

To encourage the local government to design regulations and policies for gender mainstreaming in the energy sector in Maluku, New Zealand-Maluku Access to Renewable Energy Support (NZMATES) conducted a basic training on Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) and its relevance to the renewable energy sector.