14 August 2019 – Global engineering, advisory and design company Aurecon has announced the appointment of Varman Ramachandran as Country Director for Indonesia and Client Director – Energy, Resources and Manufacturing for Asia, effective from 7 August 2019.

The latest leadership appointment from Aurecon comes as the company continues to strengthen its business around sustainability, digital transformation and infrastructure in Asia. Aurecon is very optimistic about the Asia market, which is projected to grow 5.4 per cent in 2019 and is at the forefront of digitalisation, according to the International Monetary Fund.

“Varman is a proven leader with more than 20 years of experience in power projects and operational management in a consulting role across Australia and Asia. He successfully secured and oversaw several large power projects in the Asia region. He also has significant experience leading high-performing teams in Indonesia to advise a wide variety of large power consortiums and plant operators. His appointment will ensure we help clients unlock benefits in the energy sector for sustainable development in Asia,” said Stephane Asselin, Managing Director – Asia, Aurecon.

Aurecon has a long history of delivering innovative design solutions that are paving the way toward sustainable and accessible energy across Southeast Asia. In 2016, Aurecon delivered mechanical and electrical solutions to help Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University build eight hybrid microgrids that integrated solar, wind, diesel, storage, waste-to energy and power-to-gas technologies. At the time, the project was the largest multi-microgrid test and research platform in Southeast Asia. Most recently, Aurecon was engaged to bring the largest solar power plant in Southeast Asia to life. At completion, the Dau Tieng 1 and 2 solar power plants in Vietnam will have capacity to generate 420 MW electricity.  

Based in Jakarta, Indonesia, Varman will focus on growing Aurecon’s business within the country and across the Asia region. The Indonesian 2019-2028 Electricity Supply Plan calls for the renewables target to be raised from 14.9 GW to 16.7 GW, with a commitment from the Indonesian government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 29 per cent by 2030 through developing hydropower and other renewables. In this regard, Varman will be exploring ways Aurecon can help Indonesia transition to a more sustainable future. He will also help create strategies for the future of energy, resources and manufacturing in Asia through designing technology and innovative solutions integral to meeting tomorrow’s challenges.

Over Varman’s career, he successfully secured and led several large power projects in Asia including the Pacific Light & Power project in Singapore and the BacMan Geothermal Rehabilitation project in the Philippines. Varman has also consulted on both green and brown field power projects and helped refurbish thermal, combined-cycle power and geo-thermal power plants in Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. 

“I look forward to supporting Aurecon’s growth opportunities in Asia and working closely with clients to address key challenges in creating smart, digital and sustainable solutions for the future,” Varman said.