Indonesia inaugurates South-east Asia’s largest floating solar farm
Dream to build renewable energy plant on a big scale is finally achieved, says President Joko Widodo
[CIRATA, WEST JAVA] Indonesia on Thursday (Nov 9) inaugurated the largest floating solar power plant in South-east Asia, a 1.7 trillion rupiah (S$147.1 million) project that is also the third biggest in the world.
The plant has a capacity of 192 megawatts peak (MWp), which is likely to generate enough electricity to power around 50,000 households in Java and Bali.
President Joko Widodo was at the inauguration ceremony in Cirata in West Java, which is about 130 km from the capital Jakarta. The plant consists of 340,000 panels and sits on a reservoir that covers 200ha – an area that’s twice the size of Singapore’s Gardens By The Bay.
“Today is a historical day, because our big dream to build a renewable energy plant on a big scale is finally achieved,” the president said in a speech at the event.
The inauguration comes as Indonesia is on a big push to increase its renewable energy sources and pivot away from coal.
The Cirata plant was developed by PLN Nusantara Power, a unit of Indonesia’s state utility company Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) and United Arab Emirates (UAE) renewable energy company Masdar, a unit of Mubadala Investment Company.
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The project took three years to build and was funded by Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Societe Generale and Standard Chartered Bank.
“I spoke with Minister Thani from the UAE that (the capacity) would be expanded to around 500 MWp. We hope more renewable energy can be developed in Indonesia,” said Widodo, referring to UAE’s Minister of Foreign Trade Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi.
Widodo added that the plant could reach this 500 MWp target by 2025, and 1,000 MWp by 2028.
Renewable energy accounted for about 12.3 per cent of Indonesia’s total energy mix last year, and Widodo noted that the government’s target to raise this to 23 per cent by 2025 would likely not be realised. “It’s not easy because there was the Covid-19 pandemic, so we cannot reach it. But our commitment is to keep moving to achieve the target we have promised.”
The government has said that the Cirata plant, when fully operational, can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 214,000 tonnes each year.
Indonesia, the largest economy in South-east Asia, has pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2060 at the latest. It has committed to a 29 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
The country is also trying to achieve net-zero power sector emissions by 2050, in exchange for US$20 billion under the Just Energy Transition Partnership plan. Under this plan, Indonesia has promised to reduce its power sector carbon emissions to a peak of 250 million metric tonnes by 2030, down from 290 million tonnes.
“We hope there will be more renewable energy built in our country such as solar, hydropower, geothermal and wind,” said Widodo.
Speaking at the event, Thani, the UAE minister, said that the Cirata plant was proof of the UAE’s and Indonesia’s commitment to energy transition. He noted that there is greater potential to develop other forms of green energy in Indonesia. “This is also an important vision for the UAE. We are committed to continue to develop environmentally friendly technology,” he added.
Separately, PLN chief executive officer Darmawan Prasodjo announced the company’s intention to develop similar solar plants in 27 locations across Indonesia. He said that the estimated investment needed for this large-scale venture would be close to US$3.5 billion. “This (Cirata) power plant is proof that when it comes to carrying out the energy transition, PLN cannot do it alone. We are open to collaboration.”
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