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Let's just keep coal plants, PLN says, banking on carbon capture
Indonesia’s state-owned electricity company wants to keep coal power plants running until well into the future and is hoping for technology to undo the emissions, eventually.
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Dirty energy: The construction of the Cirebon Unit 2 coal-fired power plant in the West Java regency of Cirebon is pictured on Nov. 30, 2019. The plant is slated to begin operating in 2022. (Antara/Dedhez Anggara)
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tate-owned electricity company PLN intends to keep using coal-fired power plants for decades, hoping the necessary technology to undo the emissions will become available at an acceptable price.
PLN president director Zulkifli Zaini said the company was anticipating the development of carbon capture technology, which has been lauded for the ability to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. He expressed hope that the price of the technology would drop significantly by 2050 to make it viable for commercial use.
“If at that time, for example in 2050, carbon capture technology is very cheap, then let's just operate coal power plants. It’s okay,” Zulkifli told the audience in an online discussion on Wednesday. He added, “We could operate [the power plants] at very low costs."
Read also: 'No urgency' for Indonesia to reach net zero: Energy ministry official
Zulkifli said PLN had decided not to decommission any plants early. He said some plants could run beyond 2050 and noted that PLN would gain ownership of plants from independent power producers. Keeping plants running for their intended lifespan would help the company avoid paying compensation for early termination of contracts, he added.
Under the current plan, PLN would phase out all of its coal power plants by 2056 and eventually reach carbon neutrality by 2060. To keep up with rising electricity demand, nuclear power plants would be operated from 2040 onward, while renewable energy would also play an increasing role.
“Cheaper battery technology could increase [power from renewables] exponentially from 2040 onward. By 2045, [renewables] will dominate power generation capacity,” Zulkifli said.
