RI to Prioritize Environmentally Friendly Power Plants

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has asserted that the government will prioritize the development of environmentally friendly power plants to meet its target of generating an additional 35,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity by 2019.

“It has been stated by the state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina president director [Dwi Soetjipto] that Indonesia has geothermal energy potential of 28,000 MW. Geothermal is one of the environmentally friendly energy sources, along with wind, solar, waves and biomass, that we can focus on,” Jokowi said as quoted by Antara.

The President was speaking during a ceremony to mark the inaugural operation of Pertamina’s Kamojang geothermal power plant Unit V in Kamojang, West Java, on Sunday morning.

Jokowi asserted that the government would gradually shift its focus from coal-fueled electricity plants to power plants that were more environmentally friendly.

“Specifically, I have ordered the coordinating economic minister [Sofyan Djalil], the state-owned enterprises minister [Rini Soemarno] and the energy and mineral resources minister [Sudirman Said] that, in the future, environmentally friendly electricity plants must be prioritized,” he said.

“Of the total 35,000 MW worth of power plants targeted to be built within the next five years, 90 percent of them are coal fueled. This must be changed in stages as there are other renewable energy sources, such as wind, waves, solar and biomass, that can produce thousands of MW of electricity, although their development may be a bit costly.”

Jokowi said the government would also provide incentives with a hope that investors would be attracted to invest in energy production.

“There will be special incentives for investors who agree to develop environmentally friendly power plants, so that more businesspeople will hopefully enter into this sector. If all power plants are concentrated on the use of coal, we will be confused once this energy source runs out,” he said, adding the government had continued to monitor the progress of constructing electrical plants to achieve its 35,000 MW electricity target.

On Sunday, President Jokowi initiated the development of several geothermal-fueled power plants (PLTP) in several regions to push forward the raising the generation of electrical energy.

They include PLTP Ulubelu Unit 3 and 4 in Tanggamus regency, Lampung, PLTP Lahendong Unit 5 in Minahasa regency, North Sulawesi, PLTP Karaha Unit 1, West Java, PLTP Lumut Balai Unit 1 and 2 in South Sumatra, PLTP Hululais Unit 1, Bengkulu, and PLTP Kerinci Unit 1, Jambi. (ebf)(+++)

Source: The Jakarta Post