The visit of the ten finalist teams from the Pertamina Goes to Campus 2024 Essay Competition to the Pertamina Balikpapan Refinery. Students enthusiastically learned about sustainable energy and Euro V-compliant environmentally friendly products, which will be key advantages of this refinery.
Pertamina Goes To Campus 2024 Encourages Students to Innovate Sustainable Energy Solutions
Samarinda, November 18, 2024 – The closing ceremony of Pertamina Goes To Campus 202 (PGTC) took place at Universitas Mulawarman, Samarinda, last week. One of the event's highlights was the winners of the Essay Competition announcement, where a team of students from the Universitas Indonesia (UI) triumphed over 1,102 other submissions with their essay titled "Pemanfaatan Kotoran Ternak melalui Microbial Fuel Cell dan Baterai Ion Natrium untuk Meningkatkan Ketersediaan Listrik Berkelanjutan di Wilayah 3T".
The Vice President of Corporate Communication of PT Pertamina (Persero), Fadjar Djoko Santoso, stated that PGTC is an initiative by Pertamina to share inspiring stories within the academic community. This program aims to enhance students' understanding of Pertamina's role in the energy sector and development. Additionally, it seeks to raise awareness, foster engagement, and facilitate collaboration between the company and academia.
“Through PGTC, Pertamina synergizes with academics to foster the energy innovation spirit among students as the younger generation who will carry forward Pertamina's mission of environmental sustainability. Ideas and innovations from competitions like this are expected to become new energy sources, positively impacting sustainable energy advancement,” added Fadjar.
The Essay Competition is a core part of PGTC activities. Under the theme "Energizing the Nation", the competition aims to explore innovative ideas in renewable energy and energy sustainability. 1,103 students from 205 universities across Indonesia enthusiastically participated, with finalists presenting their scientific works to a panel of expert judges.
To deepen students' understanding of the energy business, Pertamina invited the ten selected finalist teams from various regions and universities to visit Pertamina's operational site in Balikpapan. It included the Balikpapan Refinery, currently being developed into Pertamina’s largest refinery in Indonesia, producing high-quality, environmentally friendly oil and petrochemical products meeting Euro V standards.
Rifky Rakhman Yusuf, Vice President of Stakeholder Relations & Management of Pertamina, expressed his appreciation to all students and competition participants who had followed the PGTC series from the start at Institut Teknologi Bandung in May 2024 to the final session at Universitas Mulawarman, the 17th PGTC 2024 venue.
“Congratulations to all the finalists for completing their essays and to every student who participated in this year’s PGTC activities. Keep creating, keep innovating, and be a generation that continuously contributes to the nation,” said Rifky.
Delfito Syafi Umar, a representative from UI's winning team, shared his pride in participating in the event. He encouraged young people to stay enthusiastic, keep trying, and never give up.
“To complete this scientific work, our team worked from May, intensifying our efforts a month before the submission deadline. I never expected to win this competition and stand on the PGTC stage today. Trust me, it is better to try and fail than to fail without trying at all,” he added.
Winners of PGTC 2024 Essay Competition:
- 1st Place – Universitas Indonesia: Pemanfaatan Kotoran Ternak melalui Microbial Fuel Cell dan Baterai Ion Natrium untuk Meningkatkan Ketersediaan Listrik Berkelanjutan di Wilayah 3T
- 2nd Place – Institut Teknologi Bandung: Penerapan Green Hydrogen Berbasis Air Limbah dan Energi Terbarukan di Indonesia
- 3rd Place – Universitas Diponegoro: Wavoe (Wave Volt Energy): Inovasi Pemanfaatan Gelombang Laut sebagai Sumber Energi Terbarukan di Sepanjang Wilayah Pesisir Pantai Indonesia
- Honorable Mention – Universitas Gadjah Mada: W2E: Revolusi Energi Listrik Berkelanjutan dengan Kolaborasi Microbial Electrolysis Cells (MEC) dan Organic Photovoltaic (OPV)
Pertamina, as a leading company in the energy transition, is committed to supporting the Net Zero Emission 2060 target by continuously promoting programs that directly impact the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) achievement. All these efforts align with Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) implementation across all Pertamina's business lines and operations.**