Before moving to Canberra, Mutia managed a 22-gigawatt coal power station near Jakarta. She came to Australia after winning a scholarship from her employer, the Indonesian state electricity company, PLN, to undertake the ANU Master of Energy Change. This interdisciplinary course has given her the “helicopter view” over the technical, policy and economic aspects of the energy transition. 

Indonesia has rich coal resources and has long relied on fossil fuels. Now with a plan to reach net zero by 2060, things are changing rapidly. A disruptive flood at the power station she managed in 2013 brought home the impacts of climate change for Mutia. But at the time, she didn’t yet understand why we need to transition our energy systems. 

‘When we do something routine, we cannot it see it. But when I took this course, I realised climate change is really here’ said Mutia. 

Transitioning can be difficult technically and economically. With many coal power stations in Indonesia a lot younger than their counterparts in Australia, their natural retirement ages are further away. This issue of “stranded assets” makes the transition more expensive. In efforts to stimulate the local economy, Indonesian legislation stipulates that a certain amount of the materials and products required for the transition must be sourced from within Indonesia. 

‘This means we have to develop the technology locally,’ Mutia explained. 

Green finance was an area that Mutia was able to explore in more depth as a digital participant in the recent COP29, an opportunity she accessed through her studies at ANU. To attract green finance, project developers will need to be able to sell their environmental, social and governance credentials, she explained. 

Having received High Distinctions and Distinctions for her classes the second semester of 2024, Mutia has one semester left of her program. In July 2025, returns to her work at PLN, the coalface of the energy transition in Indonesia. She’s looking forward to sharing her expertise with her colleagues. 

‘My goal is to share insights about how policies and frameworks can drive sustainable energy transitions and technology adoption effectively,’ said Mutia. 

She feels confident that she will be able to persuade them of the benefits of the energy transition. 

‘In the Master level we have to present to each other, convince each other. That’s a skill that will help me give a better understanding to others.’