State-owned oil-and-gas giant PT Pertamina began its groundbreaking to construct a 2.25 MW solar power plant in its Plaju refinery in Palembang, South Sumatra, that would supply power to its office buildings and housing complex.
The solar power plant could provide two significant advantages from economic and environmental perspectives. The installation of solar power plant will help reduce the operation load of the turbine gas and natural gas consumption in the Plaju refinery. Consequently, Pertamina targets a cost saving of US$5,000 and reduces energy consumption of 6,000 tons annually. The company also expects to see its Plaju refinery reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 2,000 tons per year.
Pertamina Director of Logistics, Supply Chain and Infrastructure, Mulyono, said the company aimed to contribute 200MW of renewable energy by 2022. With its groundbreaking, Pertamina has proven its commitment to sustainability with its carbon footprint.
“We wish to see more business initiatives in the future that will prioritize profitability, sustainability and synergy among Pertamina subsidiaries and can speed up Pertamina’s operations and support the government’s decarbonization program,” he said on June 16, 2022.
The Plaju refinery solar power plant is expected to be a pioneer as an alternative form of energy at Pertamina’s site of operation. It will become a showcase at the G20 Summit in Bali in November.
Pertamina Power Indonesia – a subsidiary of the company – will provide the solar power plant at the company’s 2.2 hectares plot of land.
Up to now, Pertamina Power Indonesia has installed two solar power plants in two refineries: The Cilacap refinery, which has a capacity of 1.34MW and the Dumai refinery, which has a total of 2 MW.
“Following our shared commitment, energy transition is an obligation. Today, we can see that Pertamina holding is committed and collaborating effectively to support government mandates in increasing energy mix,” said Dannif Danusaputro, Chief Executive Officer of Pertamina Power Indonesia.
Pertamina sets a target to reduce emissions by 30% by 2030, as well as increase its green portfolios for the internal Pertamina group by 17%.
