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PLN needs 2.4 GW of clean power to replace Cirebon-1 coal plant
The figure is almost four times the 660-megawatt (MW) capacity of the plant that the government has chosen to phase out by December 2035, more than 15 years before the end of its potential operational life.
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Coal addiction: The construction of the Cirebon-2 coal-fired power plant in the West Java regency of Cirebon is pictured on Nov. 30, 2019. (Antara/Dedhez Anggara)
S
tate-owned electricity firm PLN says it would need 2.4 gigawatts (GW) of renewable electricity to compensate for the early retirement of the Cirebon 1 coal-fired power plant.
The figure is almost four times the 660-megawatt (MW) capacity of the plant that the government has chosen to phase out by December 2035, more than 15 years before the end of its potential operational life.
The agreement was signed by ADB, PLN, independent power producer Cirebon Electric Power and the Indonesia Investment Authority (INA) during COP28 in Dubai in December 2023.
PLN risk management director Suroso Isnandar said coal plants served as baseload power sources, which meant the electricity should remain available at all times. Thus, a coal plant had to be replaced with an equally reliable power source.
He said not all forms of renewable energy could serve as a baseload power source. PLN had therefore proposed a combination of gas, solar and wind power coupled with batteries to store electricity.
“We must be careful with this early retirement so as not to disrupt the stability and sustainability of our electricity system and also not disrupt the existing business climate,” he said in Jakarta on Tuesday, as reported by Kumparan.
Read also: PLN mulls shutting down Suralaya 3 and 4 coal-fired power plants
