Freeport Plans To Change PLTU Captive With LNG

JAKARTA - PT Freeport Indonesia President Director Tony Wenas plans to replace the coal-fueled captive steam power plant (PLTU), which has been supplying electricity for mining operations, with LNG-type gas power plants (PLTG).

"We are changing and converting our power plant (power plant) which uses coal to LNG," Tony said on the sidelines of the Indonesia International Sustainability Forum (IISF) in Jakarta, quoted by Antara, Saturday, October 11.

He has not been able to reveal where Freeport will get its LNG supply.

However, he seeks that the LNG supply used to replace the PLTU captive in the Freeport operational area comes from within the country.

"It is hoped that from within the country. (The supply) is still working in progress," said Tony.

PLTU captive is a power plant built and operated by industrial companies to meet their own electricity needs, not to be sold outside.

Tony explained that the replacement of the 200 megawatt-powered coal power plant with a combined cycle LNG will reduce emissions by up to 60 percent.

Replacement of PLTU to PLTG will begin at the central Freeport or Papua mine site. The PLTG will have a capacity of 270 megawatts.

The step to replace PLTU to PLTG is one of the efforts taken by Freeport to reduce carbon emissions in its mining operations.

He targets to reduce carbon emissions by 30 percent by 2030.

"But, it seems that it could even be more than 30 percent. Now, it's 28 percent," said Tony.

In addition to replacing the PLTU captive, Tony also said that Freeport replaces trucks that transport diesel-fueled mining products into electric trains. Thus, the emissions that are usually produced from diesel combustion can be suppressed.

"The way our management has been carried out in a sustainable way even though we are an extractive industry," he said.