New minister to further boost investment in energy sector

Newly appointed Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Darwin Z. Saleh has emphasized on the need of increasing both foreign and domestic investment in the energy sector especially in oil and gas exploration and production activities in order to further increase oil and gas production.

Speaking in a get-together with the officials and staff of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry during his first day in the office on Thursday, Darwin also said that oil and gas storage and distribution facilities needed to be further expanded in the future in order to support the rise in the production.

?This (idea) is nothing new at all, but it needs to get more attention,? he said during the meeting

During the meeting, Darwin also emphasized on the need to further diversify the energy use in the country. In mid-term, he said, the share of coal in the country?s energy use should be increased to 30 percent from 15 percent at present. Geothermal?s share in the energy use should be also increased to between four and five percent by 2025, he added.

?Such energy diversification is important in order to reduce the use of oil,? he said, adding that gas which at present is mostly processed into liquefied natural gas (LNG) for exports should be in the future be directed for domestic use.

The appointment of Darwin, 48, who heads the economic department of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democrat Party, had surprised business players in the industry due to his low profile and lack of experience in energy and mining sectors.

He was born in Riau and is a trained economist with an academic background. He has a doctorate in economics from the University of Indonesia, where he lectures, and an MBA from the Middle Tennessee State University. (kanti)