JAKARTA – President Joko Widodo has urged PT PLN (Persero) to continue to encourage the use of New and Renewable Energy (NRE) for power generation.
Jokowi asked PLN management to make a clear plan or road map in the context of energy transition in power plants.
“Especially for PLN, it must be disclosed how this energy transition can be carried out immediately with a target,” said Jokowi quoted from the Secretariat of the President of the Republic of Indonesia Youtube account when giving a briefing to the management of PLN and Pertamina, Sunday (21/11).
He also challenged PLN if it already has a clear plan, he is optimistic that PLN can transition from coal energy reaching 5 thousand megawatts (MW) to NRE next year. “2022, for example, 5 thousand MW must shift from coal, to hydro power, geothermal, or solar panels, go for it, but there must be stages like that,” said Jokowi.
However, Jokowi admits that the energy transition is not easy because there is a big gap between the price of electricity produced by fossil energy and NRE. For this reason, according to Jokowi, he asked developed countries to take part.
“These big countries don’t just talk, but who wants to bear this gap (price difference), who wants to solve it, if developing countries are not capable, we can’t, they already seem willing,” Jokowi explained.
Meanwhile, the realization of new and renewable energy (NRE) power generation capacity until the third quarter of 2021 reached 386 Megawatts (MW). Additional NRE power plants include Poso Peaker 2nd Expansion Unit 1 and 2 of 130 MW Hydroelectric Power Plant (PLTA), 12 units of Mini Hydro Power Plant (PLTM) of 71.26 MW, 55 MW of 2 Geothermal Power Plant (PLTP) units, 19.5 MW of Bioenergy Power Plant (PLT Bioenergi), and additional 17.88 MW of Rooftop Solar Power Plant (PLTS Atap).
The additional NRE power plant capacity, the prognosis until December 2021 will be from the 10 MW Biomass Power Plant (from palm oil waste) located in East Java, which is targeted for Commercial Operation Date (COD) this year. There will also be the addition of 2 Geothermal Power Plant units, namely Rantau Dedap and Sokoria Geothermal Power Plants, with a total capacity of 91 MW, whose construction progress has reached 90%. Also, the addition of Solar Power Plants / Rooftop Solar Power Plants of 27.54 MW and Hydroelectric Power Plants with a capacity of 200 MW. For small and medium scale, there will be more than 13 Mini Hydro Power Plants with a total capacity of 395.57 MW.
