Jakarta (VNA) – The
Indonesian Government plans to launch an auction for six geothermal projects, which have a combined capacity of 255 megawatts and total investment
capital of 1.02 billion USD, in September this year.
The auction aims to expand Indonesia’s renewable energy
capacity, according to the Jakarta Post.
The
projects are Kapahiang in Bengkulu with a capacity of 110 MW, Simbolon Samosir
in North Sumatra with 110 MW, Borapulu in Central Sulawesi with 10 MW, Lamiding
in North Maluku with 10 MW and Oka Ile Ange and Mount Sirung in East Nusa
Tenggara with capacities of 10 MW and 5 MW, respectively.
Yunus Saefulhak, Geothermal Director at the
Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, said the amount of investment in each
geothermal region varies, depending on the region and local conditions. But on
average, the investment for geothermal development is around 4 million USD per
megawatt.
The auction is expected to last for about 4-5
months, he said.
The government aims for Indonesia, which is now
the world’s third-largest geothermal producer, to become the world’s largest by
2021, overtaking current number one, the US.
Indonesia’s total geothermal capacity amounted
to 1,643.5 MW in 2016. The country expects to have a total geothermal capacity
of 3,559.5 MW within the next four years.
The US’s geothermal capacity is expected to
stagnate at 3,450 MW with no new developments being planned. Meanwhile the
Philippines, currently the world’s second largest geothermal producer, has
fully tapped its potential and may see its capacity decline from 1,870 MW
currently.
This year, Indonesia will add an additional 215
MW capacity from the Sarulla geothermal power plant in North Sumatra, 30 MW
from Karaha in West Java, 20 MW from Sorik Marapi in North Sumatra and 55 MW
from Ulubelu Unit 4 in Lampung.-VNA