Powering Indonesia’s Gold Mines

The sky above the Pani Gold Project mining site in Gorontalo was still lightless when Dharu Rendro Anom Prabowo began his day. The clock read 04:30 in the morning.

The cold air of the mine site was his familiar companion before leading a large team in the process plant area. "By 05:45 I am already heading to the office. Every day, because the work system on site is 12 hours, from 6 in the morning until 6 in the evening," said the 2012 graduate of Electrical Engineering at Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS), recounting his daily routine in late May.

Today, Dharu, is an Electrical and Instruments Fixed Plant Superintendent at PT Merdeka Copper and Gold for the Pani Gold Mine project in Gorontalo, a role that requires him to oversee the electrical and instrumentation systems at one of Indonesia's largest gold mining projects.

His daily routine is quite hustle. His days are filled with toolbox meetings with the electrical and instrumentation team, safety talks, cross-departmental production meetings, and field inspections to ensure the entire process plant system is running right.

The Sragen-born engineer must also ensure that preventive maintenance runs smoothly, check equipment readiness, and take over troubleshooting when issues arise in the project's electrical systems.

Dharu Rendro (left) during a toolbox meeting with electrical and instrumentation team in Pani Gold Project mine, Gorontalo.

"In the mining world, everything moves fast and demands precision. Even a small disruption can have a major impact on production," he said.

Yet behind his current strategic position, Dharu went through some of the hardest moments of his life as a student. Semester seven is a point he has never forgotten.

His mother fell ill while he was busy working as a laboratory assistant and actively involved in the Electrical Engineering Student Association (KMTE) and the Faculty of Engineering Student Executive Board (BEM) at UMS. He had to divide his time between campus, the hospital, and his family at home.

"It felt like everything was falling apart. Sometimes I had to skip classes to look after my mother in the hospital. I was going back and forth because I also had to check on my younger sibling at home, who was still in junior high school at the time," he recalled.

The situation was made even worse by the fact that his late father had passed away while Dharu was still in high school. It was in the middle of that uncertainty that he truly felt the support of the Electrical Engineering community at UMS.

His friends and lecturers were like a second family. "Several lecturers and friends visited my mother in the hospital. Some even helped with the medical costs. That kind of thing has stayed with me to this day," Dharu said.

"Pak Dedi Ari, Pak Hasyim Asy'ari, the late Pak Jatmiko, Pak Nurgiyatna, and Pak Umar, they did not only teach technical knowledge, they often shared lessons about life too," he said.

But Dharu's trials were not over. His mother then passed away, leaving him to carry on without either parent.

Fortunately, Dharu still had an uncle and aunt who helped cover his tuition fees until he graduated on time. After that, he had to step into the role of a parent figure and begin supporting his younger sibling.

Dharu began his career as a Junior Electrical Supervisor at PT Mutu Gading Textile in Karanganyar after graduating in 2016. At the textile company, he had his first professional experience handling large-scale industrial electrical systems, from transformers and switchgear to generators and factory HVAC systems.

A year later, his path changed when he entered the gold mining industry at PT Bumi Suksesindo (BSI) in Banyuwangi as a Junior Electrical Engineer. "This mine manages the Tujuh Bukit Gold Mine, one of Indonesia's major gold and silver mining projects that uses leaching methods and modern gold processing systems. I learned a great deal here as a junior," Dharu explained.

His career gradually took off. From early 2019 to mid-2021, Dharu worked as an Electrical and Instrumentation Engineer under PT Merdeka Copper Gold, becoming involved in small to large-scale mining projects owned by the company in Banyuwangi.

In July 2021, Dharu took on greater responsibility as Senior Electrical and Instrumentation Engineer. He was transferred to the Wetar Copper Mine site in Southwest Maluku.

In those remote locations he handled various engineering, construction, and commissioning tasks for the copper mine's electrical systems.

"Then in August 2023 I was entrusted with handling another strategic project in Morowali, Central Sulawesi, as Senior Field Electrical and Instrumentation Engineer for the AIM Project (Acid Iron Metal Project)," Dharu continued. The project is an integrated mineral processing facility located within the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP).

After leaving PT Merdeka Copper Gold, Dharu briefly moved to MMS Group Indonesia in Balikpapan as Lead Electrical Construction Engineer, where he was part of the construction of an RKEF Nickel Smelter project, a large-scale nickel processing facility.

"I was only at MMS in Balikpapan for about a year, but the experience significantly broadened my hours in the mineral processing industry and heavy industry projects. Now I am at the Gorontalo site, back with PT Copper Gold," he explained.

Most recently, Dharu had the opportunity to attend an operation and maintenance training for smart MCC systems with Rockwell Automation in Shanghai, China, from May 17 to 23, 2026.

Dharu Rendro (left) and colleagues during a working visit to Renle Science and Technology in Shanghai, China, on May 29, 2026.

"My three colleagues from the company and I learned and saw firsthand the manufacturing of MCCs, medium voltage VSDs, and E-houses that are highly modern and well-organized at Rockwell Automation and Renle Science and Technology in Shanghai," Dharu added.

Despite his successful career in the mining world, Dharu believed that academic ability is not the only key for success. Resilience and care for others, he believed, are equally important points in one's life journey.

The life principle he continues to hold to this day comes from a Javanese philosophy passed down by his late mother. “Urip iku urup (life must be of benefit to others)," he said.

That message stays with him. He believed that every act of goodness given to others will return one day, whether to oneself or to one's family in the future.

"Competition in the job market is getting tougher. So we have to keep learning, keep developing ourselves, and keep working hard. And if we can be of benefit to others along the way, that is all the better. That is all," he concluded.

Writer: Genis Dwi Gustati

Translator: Farizal Luqman Majid

Editor: Al Habiib Josy Asheva