State-owned electricity company PT PLN has committed to develop renewable energy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, by building tidal power plants especially in the eastern part of Indonesia.
PLN Director of Mega Projects and New and Renewable Energy, Wiluyo Kusdwiharto, said the company was currently examining the possibility of using tidal power to provide electricity.
“It [tidal power] will replace fossil fuels, mainly diesel fuel power plants in remote areas,” he explained on June 4, 2022.
Kusdwiharto said the eastern parts of Indonesia would be the most suitable locations to build tidal power plants. “Areas such as East Nusa Tenggara, Ambon and North Maluku are the most suitable sites for tidal power plants,” he added.
PLN had planned to construct an additional renewable energy power plant in 2021 that would provide 623 MW (megaWatts) of power, including 260 MW from the Poso hydroelectric plant in Central Sulawesi. This will enable the company to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
Aside from Poso plant, there are also 90 MW Malea hydroelectric plants in Toraja, South Sulawesi; 57 MW Sorik Marapi geothermal power plants in Mandailing Natal, North Sumatra; and 98 MW Rantau Dedap geothermal power plants in Lahat, South Sumatra.
“There will be an additional 57 MW of renewable energy until April 2022, consisting of an 11 MW micro-hydropower plant, a 6.6 MW geothermal power plant, and a 1.3 MW solar power plant at Selayar [South Sulawesi],” Kusdwiharto said.
He also said that the 88 MW Peusangan hydropower plant in Aceh, already reached 88 percent of its capacity while the 174 MW Asahan 3 power plant (North Sumatra) had reached 58 percent, and the 110 MW Jatigede power plant (West Java) had reached 92 percent.
“The Batang Toru hydropower plant [North Sumatra], with 510 MW, has reached 21 percent of its capacity. Meanwhile, Merangin [hydroelectric power plant in Jambi] has reached 47 percent. The Upper Cisokan hydropower plant is nearing financial closure, while Kumbih [hydropower plant] is in the pre-construction phase,” he said.
PLN has also implemented several other projects including co-firing power plants using biomass and coal, de-dieselization and wind energy development.
