Indonesia turns focus to energy security and renewables amid pandemic
Indonesia turns focus to energy security and renewables amid pandemic/node/1767476/business-economy
Indonesia turns focus to energy security and renewables amid pandemic
Oil palm farmers in Central Kalimantan’s Kapuas regency harvest crops to be transported to a nearby processing plant. (Photo courtesy: Ismira Lutfia Tisnadibrata)
Indonesia turns focus to energy security and renewables amid pandemic
Govt. aims to use of opportunity presented by COVID-19 outbreak to make transition
Updated 24 November 2020
Ismira Lutfia Tisnadibrata
JAKARTA: The fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has presented Indonesia with the opportunity to work toward energy security and switch from conventional to renewable sources, officials have said.
“Indonesia has made various breakthroughs such as making use of biodiesel B30,” Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said during an online press conference on Sunday, quoting President Joko Widodo’s address during the G20 Summit.
“(We) will be conducting tests on green diesel D100 from palm oil – which will absorb 1 million tons of palm oil produced by farmers – and also install rooftop solar power plants in hundreds of thousands of households,” he added.
Widodo also made a reference to data from the World Economic Forum on the massive potential of the green economy, which could generate up to $10.1 trillion and create 395 million new jobs by 2030.
Earlier this month on Nov. 4, energy and mineral resources minister Arifin Tasrif said that the current difficulties posed by the pandemic had spurred Indonesia to accelerate the energy transition, by developing renewable energy, ensure efficiency and work toward maintaining energy security for lasting energy independence.
Energy security and its steady supply were some of the top concerns voiced by Tasrif during the G20 energy ministers’ meeting in September.
“COVID-19 has created an economic crisis and shrunk energy demands. All G20 members must work together to ensure that the energy market is stabilized and maintain supply affordability. These are a top priority for Indonesia,” Tasrif said at the meeting.
He also lauded Saudi Arabia, the summit host, for pushing ahead with the 4Rs issue – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Remove – in the circular carbon economy (CCE) concept, which was endorsed by the energy ministers after their meetings.
Tasrif said the issue was an “important part of reintroducing the role of biofuel and hydrogen in the CCE platform,” and in line with Indonesia’s adoption of the mandatory use of biodiesel – containing 30 percent palm oil and known as B30 – from January this year, specifically in the transport, power plant, industrial and commercial sectors.
Indonesia, the world’s largest palm oil producer, has set a target to use 23 percent of renewable energy by 2025 and 50 percent by 2050, as part of its national energy mix plan.
The government has listed provisions for renewable energy and its conservation among its seven priority programs for next year and allocated 16.7 billion rupiahs ($1.2 million) for environmental preservation efforts in the 2021 budget.
“Our state budget is very much pro-green ... The government is already on the right track with the implementation of energy transition policy,” Arif Budimanta, a special presidential staff on economic affairs, said during an online discussion recently.
He added that President Joko Widodo had been very “hands-on” with the implementation of the energy transition policy and was directly supervising the progress of the policy.
Government officials claimed that the adoption of B30’s mandatory use – the first in the world – has been successful.
However, its target this year had reduced from the initial 9.5 million kilolitres to 8.3 million kilolitres, with 6 million kilolitres realized so far.
Mandatory use is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 16.9 million tons.
“The switch to a biodiesel program, which has been in place since 2015, has been able to replace almost 25 million liters of imported fossil fuel by June this year, and we have been able to save foreign exchange spending by roughly equivalent of 127 trillion rupiahs,” Eddy Abdurrachman, head of the Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency said during a recent webinar.
Static tests on diesel engines for 1,000 hours of use of the biodiesel blend are underway at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry’s research and development lab.
The head of the research and development agency, Dadan Kusdiana, said on Aug. 26 that scientists had managed to conduct studies on the lab’s engine test bench after the COVID-19 outbreak restricted them from testing on the roads.
“We expect to wrap up the tests by the end of the year,” Kusdiana said.
Startups across MENA secure fresh funding to scale chips, AI, mobility and proptech platforms
The company plans to use the funding to scale operations across Dubai and the wider UAE before expanding into other GCC markets
Updated 3 sec ago
Nour El-Shaeri
RIYADH: Startups across the Middle East and North Africa continue to attract investor backing, with companies spanning semiconductors, artificial intelligence infrastructure, and health technology all benefitting.
Rimal Semiconductors, a Saudi chip design startup, secured a bridge funding round from Keheilan Asset Management and an undisclosed regional investor as the company works to strengthen its position within the global semiconductor supply chain.
The funding will support Rimal’s strategy of building a fabless semiconductor business that designs chips while outsourcing manufacturing to international foundries, enabling the company to distribute production across multiple jurisdictions while retaining ownership of its intellectual property.
Rimal currently maintains manufacturing partnerships across Taiwan, Korea, and China, and is in discussions with US-based foundries as it seeks to diversify its production network.
The company positions its approach as a way to navigate the increasingly fragmented semiconductor industry, where geopolitical tensions between the US and China are reshaping global supply chains and restricting market access for many companies.
By maintaining Saudi ownership of its intellectual property while distributing manufacturing across multiple partners, Rimal aims to supply its chip designs to markets worldwide regardless of manufacturing location.
The startup is also finalizing a distribution agreement with a regional distributor operating across Turkiye, Egypt, and Morocco, as well as Tunisia and the UAE, supported by local engineering teams providing technical support in each market.
Rimal currently has six contracts in the pipeline, including one with a major Egyptian corporation, with projects spanning defense systems, power grid infrastructure, and data center technologies.
iQtech raises first investment round
iQtech LLC, a Qatar-based startup specializing in advanced medical simulation and cross-reality technologies, has closed its first investment round with backing from European assessment technology company Selexi and deep-tech collaborator Yuniro.
The funding marks a milestone for the startup, founded in 2025, as it transitions from its founding phase into a structured growth stage while accelerating development of its AI-powered medical training platform.
The investment will support the development of EsculapioVR, iQtech’s flagship platform that combines immersive virtual reality simulations with artificial intelligence-driven performance evaluation designed to enhance medical education and professional training outcomes.
Operating from Doha within the Qatar Science & Technology Park ecosystem, the startup positions itself at the intersection of healthtech and edutech.
Weego operates a mobility-as-a-service application that integrates multiple transportation options into a single platform. (Supplied)
The company aims to modernize professional training through high-fidelity simulation environments for health care professionals, as well as civil and military training programs.
With the new funding, iQtech plans to strengthen its technical infrastructure, accelerate platform development, and expand deployments across Qatar and the wider Middle East and North Africa region.
Weego raises $1.1m
Weego, a Moroccan–Senegalese mobility startup, has raised $1.1 million in a funding round led by early-stage venture capital firm Azur Innovation Fund as the company seeks to expand its mobility-as-a-service platform across African markets.
Founded in 2020 by Saad Jittou and Mor Niane, the company operates a mobility-as-a-service application that integrates multiple transportation options into a single platform, allowing users to access and book public transit, ride-hailing services, and other transportation modes through one interface.
The company also provides enterprise mobility solutions through its WeegoLines service, which enables companies to organize and manage employee transportation. The service is designed to improve reliability and efficiency in staff mobility for corporate clients.
“Transportation remains one of the primary barriers to economic activity in many cities,” said Jittou, co-founder and CEO of Weego. “We are building the technological layer that helps make existing mobility infrastructure more efficient and accessible.”
With the new funding, Weego plans to expand into additional cities across Morocco, strengthen its enterprise mobility services, and further develop its multimodal platform.
The company is also preparing for broader regional expansion into other African markets, with longer-term ambitions to explore opportunities in Europe and the Middle East.
Skipr raises $2m seed round
Skipr, a startup developing infrastructure designed to enable trusted interaction between autonomous artificial intelligence systems, has closed a $2 million seed funding round at a $10 million valuation.
The funding will support the company’s expansion from Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global technology ecosystem, as it works to scale sovereign artificial intelligence infrastructure for national and enterprise deployments.
Skipr focuses on enabling secure communication, coordination, and value exchange between AI systems operating across organizations, cloud environments, and geographic jurisdictions.
The company’s platform is designed to allow governments and enterprises to maintain sovereign control over their data and decision-making processes while deploying AI-powered services.
We are building the trust infrastructure nations and enterprises need to deploy AI safely, confidently, and at scale.
Andreas Hartl, CEO at Skipr Technologies
Skipr said it is already working with telecommunications operators, AI and cybersecurity laboratories, and data center partners to deploy autonomous digital services at national and enterprise scale.
“This funding accelerates our work on what we believe is a foundational layer for the AI era,” said Andreas Hartl, CEO at Skipr Technologies.
“As AI systems become autonomous and interconnected, secure AI-to-AI interoperability under sovereign control is no longer optional. We are building the trust infrastructure nations and enterprises need to deploy AI safely, confidently, and at scale,” he added.
Skipr operates as part of the Hub71+ Digital Assets specialist ecosystem, which brings together technology companies, regulators, and strategic partners focused on developing digital infrastructure.
Rewa launches UAE rent payment and rewards platform
UAE-based proptech startup Rewa has launched its digital rent payment and rewards application across the country following the close of a strategic seed funding round backed by Qatar Development Bank, Plug and Play, and Neocity Invest, as well as Startup Wise Guys, Second Century Ventures, and several Gulf Cooperation Council real estate executives.
Founded in 2024 by Ramzi Mneimneh and Najib Khanafer, Rewa enables tenants to pay rent through card or bank transfer while earning loyalty points that can be redeemed across more than 150 partners spanning travel, retail, and dining, as well as groceries and lifestyle services.
The platform also allows users to apply rewards toward future rent payments and utility bills. In addition to tenant services, Rewa provides tools for landlords through its Rewa Alliance platform, which streamlines rent collection through automated tracking, digital receipts, and workflows designed to align with UAE rental regulations.
The company plans to use the funding to scale operations across Dubai and the wider UAE before expanding into other GCC markets.
Ayar Labs raises $500 million
Ayar Labs, a US-based semiconductor startup focused on optical interconnect technology, has raised $500 million in a series E funding round led by Neuberger Berman.
The round included participation from institutional investors AKR Invest, Insight Partners, Sequoia Global Equities, and 1789 Capital.
Qatar Investment Authority joined the round as a Middle East-based institutional investor.
Additional strategic investors included Alchip Technologies and MediaTek, joining existing backers such as Advent Global Opportunities, Boardman Bay Capital Management, and IAG Capital Partners, as well as Light Street Capital, Playground Global, AMD Ventures, and NVIDIA.
Founded in 2015 by Mark Wade, Vladimir Stojanovic, Chen Sun, Rajeev Ram, and Milos Popovic, Ayar Labs develops optical interconnect technologies known as co-packaged optics, which replace traditional electrical connections used in chips and data centers.
The company’s technology is designed to improve data transfer speeds and energy efficiency in high-performance computing environments, including artificial intelligence infrastructure and large-scale data centers.
