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PLN plans to use carbon capture, nuclear by 2040
State-owned electricity company PLN has announced a plan to convert and optimize power plants to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060 in its Zero Carbon 2060 roadmap.
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State electricity company PLN is heavily reliant on coal to fuel its power plants. This undated photograph shows coal being loaded onto a barge on the Mahakam River in Samarinda, East Kalimantan. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
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tate-owned electricity monopoly PLN has announced a plan to deploy controversial new energy technologies within Indonesia's power grid to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060.
PLN wrote in a statement on Oct. 31 that the company planned to deploy carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) technology by 2035, and to operate nuclear power plants by 2040, both of which are emerging zero-emission technologies marred by high capital costs, safety concerns and a relative lack of technological readiness.
PLN president director Zulkifli Zaini predicted CCUS investments would become more affordable in the future as the technology develops. In such conditions, CCUS is expected to sustain coal usage at a certain volume until 2060.
“Going forward, new and renewable energy will be a baseload carrier that will compete with fossil energy,” Zulkifli said in a statement.
PLN's plan comes as lawmakers deliberate a new and renewable energy (NRE) bill that, among other points, provides incentives for new energy technologies such as CCUS and nuclear, a proposal that has met opposition from the renewables industry and environmental activists.
Read also: Tug of war: Stakeholders clash over nuclear, fossil fuel addition to green energy bill
Besides introducing CCUS and nuclear, PLN plans to phase out coal-fired power plants to meet its net-zero goal. The company plans to start retiring 1 gigawatt (GW) of old sub-critical coal plants in 2030, 9 GW of sub-critical coal plants in 2035, 10 GW of super-critical coal plants in 2040, 24 GW of ultra super critical plants in 2045 and the remaining 5GW starting 2055.
