Indonesia joined the ranks of countries shifting to renewable energy on Monday by opening its first ever wind farm in Sidrap, South Sulawesi, a project that is expected to produce 75 megawatts (MW) of electricity for more than 70,000 households.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said the wind farm, which boasts four turbines, was proof that renewable energy could contribute to the country’s ambitious 35,000-MW electricity program.

“The country has the potential [to produce renewable energy sources] in the form of wind, water, geothermal energy and sunlight. In the future, we will push for the use of more renewable electrical energy sources.”

Construction of the 100-hectare Sidrap Wind Farm begun in April 2016. It has been billed as the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia.

A consortium of four companies worked on the project with an investment of US$150 million.

State electricity company PLN will source electricity from the wind farm and distribute it to customers in South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi and West Sulawesi.

According to PLN, 40 percent of the farm’s materials were sourced locally and its construction employed 500 people from surrounding communities.

Sidrap was chosen for the project’s location as the district stands at between 180 and 385 meters above sea level, where wind can reach speeds of up to 6 m per second, powerful enough to generate electricity.

The government is currently working on another wind farm in Jeneponto, also in South Sulawesi and plans to construct more in East Kalimantan and West Java.

Jokowi emphasized in his speech that Indonesia needed to invest more in renewable energy.

“New and renewable energy sources are currently only capable of generating 2,000 MW, which is less than 10 percent of the targeted 35,000 MW,” he said, adding that the country should invest more in other clean energy sources, like geothermal energy, water, wind and sunlight.

“Hopefully we can reach our target of producing 23 percent [of 35,000 MW] by 2020.”

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan, who was present at the inauguration ceremony, said Sidrap Wind Farm would be part of a network of power plants that could provide an additional 750 MW of electricity for 1.1 million households in South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi and West Sulawesi.

In November last year, PLN signed power purchase agreements (PPAs) with nine independent power producers (IPPs) who will build power plants based on renewable resources in various capacities totaling 640.45 MW.

The largest of these projects is a hydropower plant in Poso, Central Sulawesi, which will have a capacity of 515 MW and cost $831 million to build.

The project will be an expansion of the existing 195-MW power plant owned by Kalla Group’s Poso Energy.

“This will be the largest hydropower plant in Indonesia,” Ignasius added.

The second-largest plant located in Rantau Dedap, South Sumatra will produce geothermal energy with a capacity of 86 MW.

The remaining seven, which are micro-hydro power plants with an accumulated capacity of 39.65 MW, will be located in Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi and West Nusa Tenggara.

In addition to generating renewable energy, Sidrap Wind Farm, according to Jokowi, could turn the area into a new tourist destination.

“I can see all the blades of the wind farm rotating from here, which means that there is enough wind [to produce energy],” the president said.

“It feels like I’m in the Netherlands, but I am actually in Sidrap right now.

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