RUPTL Terbit, PLN Ready Bangun Green Super Grid Sepanjang 47.758 KMS

PT PLN (Persero) is ready to carry out the Government's directives to build a Green Super Grid or a wide-scale green transmission network in the 2025-2034 Electric Power Supply Business Plan (RUPTL).

This strategic infrastructure is designed as the backbone of electricity distribution from new and renewable energy sources (EBT) which are generally located in remote areas, towards high centers of electricity needs such as industrial areas, big cities, and densely populated areas throughout Indonesia.

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Bahlil Lahadalia revealed that the construction of electricity transmission in the next 10 years will reach a total of 47,758 kilometers of circuits (kms). This network will connect EBT generators to PLN substations, and then channel power to distribution networks up to customers or end users.

"Indonesia has the potential for a large, widespread, and diverse EBT to support national energy security in line with Asta Cita Presiden Prabowo Subianto. The challenge is that this potential for EBT is located far from the center of electricity demand. So, we need to build a transmission network and substations in order to maximize the potential of EBT for power plants," said Bahlil.

Of the total transmissions that are planned to be built, the Java, Madura, and Bali regions will be the longest, namely a total of 13.9 thousand kms. Then 11.2 thousand kms will be built in Sumatra, 9.8 thousand kms in Kalimantan, and 9 thousand kms in Sulawesi.

In addition, Bahlil continued, to strengthen the electricity system in Eastern Indonesia, there will also be additional transmissions of 3.9 thousand kms in the Maluku, Papua, and Nusa Tenggara regions. The plan to develop transmissions per region also includes 4 inter-island interconnection transmissions, namely Java-Bali Interconnection, Sumatra-Batam-Bintan Interconnection, Sumatra-Java Interconnection, and Kalimantan-Tarakan Interconnection.

"All of these designs, if we can do the network, there will be no more problems with the generators that we will build for the new renewable energy," Bahlil added.

In addition to transmission, PLN will also build a substation with a total capacity of 107,950 megavolt amperes (MVA) to strengthen the national electricity system. Not only that, to overcome the intermittency of variable renewable energy (VRE) due to weather, such as Solar Power Plants (PLTS) and Bayu Power Plants (PLTB), PLN designed Smart Grids, namely modern electrical systems that utilize communication and two-way information, thus making them more flexible, responsive, and can utilize energy more optimally.

In building reliable inter-island interconnect systems, Indonesia requires digitization of electricity networks and integrated Smart Grid development with large-scale PLTB, PLTS, Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), pump storage and High Voltage Current Current (HVDC) systems. The use of the Smart Grid can provide efficiency, stability, and reliability of the electricity supply from the VRE generator which will be built massively in the next 10 years.

"The government is committed to building a reliable, modern, and environmentally friendly electrical system. We have all programmed new and renewable energy. Well, to be able to connect this new renewable energy, we must have a reliable electricity network," said Bahlil.

Bahlil explained that the Green Super Grid project is not only important for the success of the energy transition, but also opens up huge investment opportunities. The total investment needs in the next decade for substations and transmissions are estimated at IDR 565.3 trillion, consisting of the addition of a 500 kV transmission network, 275 kV transmission, 150 kV transmission, 75 kV transmission, and 500 kV direct current (DC) transmission.

PLN President Director, Darmawan Prasodjo said that the Green Super Grid is one of the strategic steps in bringing the potential of EBT in remote areas to the center of demand in urban areas. This infrastructure makes the inter-island electricity system in Indonesia, which was previously fragmented, connected to each other.

There is no energy transition without transmission. Therefore, the Government's directive to build a Green Super Grid will be carried out seriously. Green Super Grid is not only able to bring green energy that is environmentally friendly, but also capable of realizing energy self-sufficiency based on local power," concluded Darmawan.