EVENT: ASIAN POWER FORUM JAKARTA Indonesia unleashing potential in new and renewable energy

Indonesia’s power sector is poised for growth, thanks to new renewable energy initiatives, modernised transmission infrastructure, and the country’s unique archipelagic and resource-rich environment.

These conditions were the center of discussions among industry leaders and stakeholders at Jakarta 2023 Asian Power Forum held at the Pullman Hotel last May 4.

In attendance were nine speakers from various sectors of the power industry, with representatives from the ministries, stateowned enterprises and the private sector, and around 50 audience participants.

Bold steps towards RE

In the first session, Harris Yahya, director of geothermal for the Directorate General of New Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation, teed off Indonesia’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in abidance to the Conference of the Parties (COP) — the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held last November.

The official from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources said Indonesia has increased its target to reduce emissions by 31.89% on its own and up to 43.20% with international support. The country’s capability to do so, said Yahya, is owed to the fact that the archipelago is blessed with abundant natural renewable energy

(NRE) resources that include solar, hydro, bioenergy, wind, geothermal, and ocean, which have a potential capacity to generate gigawatts (GW).

However, only 12.570 MW has so far been utilized from these NRE resources. To optimise these resources, Yahya suggested the need for a modern and integrated super grid to establish a resilient and robust transmission infrastructure. This would help streamline renewable energy development, maintain transmission stability and security, and address the mismatch between RE resources and the location of high electricity demand areas.

He also emphasised the importance of implementing Renewable Energy Based Industry Development (REBID), which is expected to attract investment and increase regional economic development.

At present, the government already has a program called Integrated Development of Large Scale Hydro and Geothermal within Industrial Development and Synergy of NRE Development with Economic Cluster Development, which focuses on developing large-scale hydro and geothermal resources in synergy with economic cluster development, he said.

In his presentation, titled “Development of Geothermal Energy in Indonesia,” he said Indonesia has one of the largest geothermal capacities in the world at 2,368 MW. He outlined strategies to increase geothermal competitiveness, including improving data quality through government drilling, optimising funding utilisation, and using small-scale generators in existing fields.

IPP strategies for RE independence

On “IPP Development for RE Energy

Independence,” the speaker was Arthur Simatupang, chairman of the Indonesian Independent Power Producer Association, who emphasised the importance of collaboration between energy companies and government agencies in Indonesia to achieve RE independence.

One of the key strategies highlighted by Simatupang is the early retirement of coal-fired power plants (CFPP) in tandem with the development of renewable energy sources. He suggested that this approach could kickstart the transition to renewable energy and help companies to achieve their RE goals more quickly.

Simatupang also recommended accelerating the dieselisation program of PT PLN (Persero), the state-owned electricity company in Indonesia. The program aims to replace diesel-powered generators with RE sources, particularly in areas that are not connected to the national power grid.

Another strategy highlighted by Simatupang is the mapping of potential demand and RE supply. This can help companies identify areas where RE can be utilized effectively and efficiently.

Developing geothermal and hydro energy

The Jakarta 2023 Asian Power Forum also gave way to state-owned Geo Dipa Energi, whose Operations & HSSE director, Supriadinata Marza, discussed the challenges of meeting the growing demand for natural resources amidst increasing competition for them.

Marza kicked off his presentation, titled “GDE Role as Geothermal SMV in Future Energy Sector” by citing the 2045 worldwide megatrend which highlighted the competition for natural resources as seen in Asia and Africa.

This, he said, poses a challenge, especially when available natural resources are not able to meet the growing demand. He expressed certainty on the importance of RE as the next trend in technological advances and the need to reduce emissions to address climate change.

As the government’s Special Mission Vehicle (SMV), GDE is tasked to utilise geothermal energy for electricity generation.

True to this mandate, he said that they are responsible for developing geothermal power plants like those in Dieng and Patuha, and act as an exploration implementing agency in East Indonesia. By 2060, Geo Dipa Energi is expected to contribute 5.5% of geothermal power plants in Indonesia, he said.

Read the full event coverage at https:// asian-power.com/