Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Bahlil Lahadalia, has asked state electricity company PT PLN to immediately build a geothermal power plant (PLTP) with a capacity of 40 Megawatts (MW) in Maluku to provide access to clean energy to all people in the province.

"PT PLN as a State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) appointed by the state to carry out assignments so that all people can get electricity," Bahlil said on Sunday, April 6, 2025.

He said the 40 MW PLTP project had been included in the draft of PT PLN's 2025-2034 Electricity Supply Business Plan (RUPTL) in order to increase the use of clean energy.

That way, it is hoped that several regions in eastern Indonesia will no longer depend on fossil-based energy, such as coal and diesel.

"I have included it in the RUPTL (of PLN)...No longer dependent on diesel. No longer dependent on coal. So when there are old generating machines, which are diesel, they are immediately replaced with Renewable Energy (EBT), as a form of the Government's concern to provide EBT as an international consensus," Bahlil cited.

The PLTP project in Maluku Province includes the 20 MW Wapsalit PLTP on Buru Island and the 2x10 MW Tulehu PLTP on Ambon Island.

The 20 MW Wapsalit PLTP is currently still in the exploration stage by private developers and the commercial operation date (COD) is targeted for 2028. Meanwhile, the 2x10 Tulehu PLTP is in the procurement stage by PLN and is targeted for COD in 2031.

In addition, there is geothermal potential in Banda Baru on Seram Island which can be developed into a 25 MW PLTP according to the survey results by the Geological Agency and will be offered in market sounding by the Directorate General of New, Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation (EBTKE) in April 2025.

Bahlil continued that currently the electricity system in Maluku Province is still very dependent on fossil fuel-based power plants. Based on 2024 data, the total power generation capacity in this region reached 409 MW.

"Of that amount, around 99 percent or 406 MW still comes from fossil sources, namely Diesel Power Plants (PLTD) and a combination of gas and steam-fueled power plants," said Bahlil.

Currently, PLTD is the largest capacity contributor with 249 MW or around 61 percent of the total capacity, followed by gas and steam-based power plants which produce 157 MW or 38 percent.

Meanwhile, the contribution of EBT is still very limited, only around 3 MW or less than 1 percent, consisting of Solar Power Plants (PLTS) of 3 MW and Hydroelectric Power Plants or Microhydro of 0.1 MW.

"With the inclusion of the PLTP project into the RUPTL of PT PLN, the Government wants to significantly boost the use of New and Renewable Energy in the Maluku region and reduce the dominance of fossil energy which has so far dominated the electricity system in the region," Bahlil said.