PLTU to be gone in 2058, Geothermal power will become the new backbone of electricity supply

The government continues to encourage the development of power plants based on new renewable energy sources, especially geothermal energy, to replace the role of coal-fired power plants as the backbone of the national electricity system. Harris Yahya, the Director Geothermal Energy at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, stated that geothermal power plants (PLTP) are more reliable than coal-fired power plants. “Geothermal energy is actually more reliable than coal because geothermal power plants can operate continuously, almost 95 percent of the year, and with stable power,” said Harris on Thursday (21/9/2023). Meanwhile, according to Harris, the productivity of coal-fired power plants cannot be maximized to 95 percent in one year. The productivity of coal-fired power plants, Harris said, only reaches 75-85 percent in one year.

“So, if we look at the productivity in megawatts, geothermal energy is indeed much higher,” he said. In addition to geothermal energy, Harris stated that the government is also continuously developing various other types of renewable energy sources, such as solar energy, wind energy, and hydropower, to replace coal.

“And if that is still not enough, then nuclear energy will be used to fill the gap,” said Harris. Previously, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Arifin Tasrif stated that the government will build around 700 gigawatts of renewable energy power plants to meet the electricity needs in Indonesia, which are estimated to reach 1,942 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2060. In addition, to achieve the energy transition target, the government will massively increase the installation of solar power plants by 2030 and continue with wind power plants by 2037. Furthermore, the government will maximize the development of geothermal power plants up to 22 gigawatts (GW), commercialize nuclear power plants by 2039, increase capacity to 31 GW in 2060, as well as develop pump storage by 2025 and battery energy storage systems (BESS) by 2034. The government is gradually decarbonizing the electricity sector, including the development of 20.9 GW of renewable energy power plants by 2030 and early retirement of coal-fired power plants. In addition, there will be a conversion of diesel power plants to gas in 47 locations with a total capacity of 3,217 MW, a biomass burning program implemented in 113 existing coal-fired power plants with a total capacity of 19 GW, and funding for drilling in 20 geothermal working areas with a potential of 683 MW to reduce high risks in the geothermal sector. “After 2030, it is expected that coal-fired power plants will no longer be developed. Then, additional power plants after 2030 will only come from renewable energy sources. The last coal-fired power plant will end in 2058,” said Arifin, as quoted from the press release.