Plans were in place for solar PV panels to be jointly installed on 43,000 hectares of the Cirata Dam in Purwakarta by state electricity company PLN and renewable energy company Masdar of the UAE.

PLN and Masdar, representing their respective countries, inked in 2017 two agreements on the project, the construction of which was initially to begin in the second half of this year. 

However, the Indonesian government said recently the deal must be dropped and the project must go through a tender process – not a direct appointment – to find a partner for PLN.

Deputy Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Arcandra Tahar confirmed the plan, saying PLN was to conduct a tender for the project soon, and expressed hope that the process could be completed “in a matter of months”. 

“PLN has just finished the procedures to go through with a tender, such as reviewing the terms and conditions and also the price [of electricity]. Only after [a tender] can Masdar use its right to match [the bidders’ proposals],” he said. 

The corporate secretary of electricity supplier Java Bali (PT PJB), Muhammad Bardan, could not be reached for comment regarding the exact timeframe for the tender and the companies that have expressed interest in it.