Finland’s Fortum to invest in Indonesia

Jakarta-wapresri.go.id. Vice President Jusuf Kalla received the Vice President of Finland-based energy company Fortum Pasi Mikkonen at the Office of the Vice President on Jalan Merdeka Utara, Jakarta on Friday (May, 13). Mikkonen in the meeting conveyed the plan of engaged in the energy sector to invest in Indonesia.

In November last year, Mikkonen recounted, the President of Finland Sauli Niinistö made a state visit to Indonesia. During the visit President Niinisto and President Joko Widodo signed a Memorandum of Understanding related to energy sector development. Finnish Business Delegation led by Fortum CEO, he added, also joined in the visit.

“We now came to Indonesia to follow up on the meeting. We see promising investment opportunities in Southeast Asia, especially in Indonesia,” said Mikkonen.

Fortum, Mikkonen continued, has made Indonesia as a priority country to invest in with the focus not only on power generation, but also on renewable energy including waste-based electrical energy (waste to energy).

“The investment will be initially made in large cities like Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, and Makassar, with the total investment of 1 million euros within the next 5 years,” he said, adding that Fortum has built a waste-based power plant in Stockholm, processing 1 million tons of waste per year with state-of-the-art technology.

However, Mikkonen revealed his concerns over land acquisition issue which could be a barrier for Fortum to invest in the country.

Responding to this, the Vice President said that Fortum does not need to worry about land issue.

“You can get all the information regarding investment in Indonesia at the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), which has recently launched a three-hour licensing service program. Investment-related sectors including land acquisition have also been connected to BKPM, “said the Vice President.

Most importantly, the Vice President underscored, quality, technology, and the price the company offered must be competitive.

Fortum is a company engaged in the energy sector founded in 1932 in the capital of Finland, Stockholm. The company has been expanding within Europe and also outside Europe.