rench electricity firm Engie has signed a joint venture agreement with Indonesian private energy company Electric Vine Industries (EVI) to develop and operate solar photovoltaic smart microgrids in Papua with a total investment value of US$240 million over the next five years.
The microgrids are expected to provide a 24/7 electricity supply to around 2.5 million people in 3,000 villages across Papua over a period of 20 years, while consumers will be able to pay by mobile phone.
“We aim to be a forerunner in the new energy world through co-innovation and partnerships, designing and developing new energy models,” Engie Group executive vice president Didier Holleaux said on Friday in a statement.
This joint venture is a follow-up to partnership agreements Engie signed in late March with EVI, giant sugar producer Sugar Group Companies and private equity company PT Arya Watala Capital during French President Francois Hollande’s visit to Jakarta.
Along with Sugar Group Companies, Engie will also develop photovoltaic and biomass power plants worth $1 billion with a total capacity of 500 megawatts (MW) in Sumatera and Eastern Indonesia over the next five years.
Meanwhile, Engie and Arya Watala are set to jointly develop a total power generative capacity of up to 10 MW peak in East Nusa Tenggara over the next three years with an investment value of $15 million.
The government has planned to supply 23 percent of the national energy mix from renewable sources by 2026, up from only 12 percent at present. (bbn)
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