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Geothermal power plants construction commences
President Joko âJokowiâ Widodo officially announced the construction of six geothermal power plants as part of the governmentâs strong commitment to further increase power supply in the country
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President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo officially announced the construction of six geothermal power plants as part of the government's strong commitment to further increase power supply in the country.
The official launch of the geothermal power plants (PLTPs), which are spread over several provinces, was held at the inauguration of the fifth generation unit of the Kamojang geothermal power plant in Kamojang, near Bandung, West Java on Sunday.
The six power projects include the PLTP Ulubelu Unit 3 and 4 in Tanggamus, Lampung, with a capacity of 2x55 MW; PLTP Lahendong Unit 5 in Minahasa, North Sulawesi, with a capacity of 2x20 MW; PLTP Karaha Unit 1 in Tasikmalaya, West Java, with a capacity of 1x30 MW; PLTP Lumut Balai Unit 1 and 2 in Muara Enim, South Sumatra, with capacity of 2x55 MW; PLTP Hululais Unit 1 in Bengkulu, with a capacity of 1x55 MW and PLTP Kerinci Unit 1 in Jambi, with a capacity of 1x55 MW.
The construction of the newly inaugurated PLTP Kamojang Unit V, which has capacity of 35 MW, began in 2013 with a total investment of US$104.03 million.
Pertamina's subsidiary Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE) built and operates the plant.
Pertamina president director Dwi Soetjipto said the PLTP Kamojang Unit V has been in operation since June 29, two months earlier than initially planned.
In his speech, President Jokowi said that the construction of the geothermal power plants is part of the government effort to gradually shift from coal-fueled power plants to more eco-friendly plants.
'Currently, around 90 percent of the 35,000 MW national energy target relies on coal (as the source of energy). Later, there will be thousands of MW of electricity generated from wind, sea waves, sun and biomass power,' he said as quoted by Antara news agency.
Previously, the government's ambitious plan to reach its 35,000 MW target in five years had raised concerns among environmental activists, as most of the power plants are coal-based.
The president said that the government would boost investment on eco-friendly power plant construction by offering incentives.
'One incentive could be a higher electricity purchase price, which will be discussed further,' he said, requesting the relevant ministers prioritize eco-friendly power plants to meet the electricity demand of the nation, which is South East Asia's largest economy.
Electricity consumption in Indonesia is expected to double in 10 years, from 189 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2013 to 386 TWh in 2022. Average annual growth between 2013 and 2022 is predicted to be 8.4 percent per year. (prm)
