Pertamina Groundbreaking Solar Power Plant With A Capacity Of 2.25 MWp At The Plaju Refinery, South Sumatra

An aerial photo illustration of a solar panel installation at the Dumai refinery, Riau. (Photo: ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Pertamina carried out the groundbreaking of the Solar Power Plant (PLTS) development project at the Plaju Refinery, South Sumatra, amounting to a 2.25-megawatt peak (MWp).

Later, the electricity supply will be distributed to office buildings and housing.

Director of Logistics and Infrastructure of PT Pertamina (Persero), Mulyono said, Pertamina targets the contribution of energy generation to reach 200 MW in 2022.

The groundbreaking of the PLTS in the RU III Plaju area is one of the catalysts and proof of Pertamina's commitment to implementing business practices that have a more sustainable carbon footprint in the future.

Mulyono said that there are two great potentials from an economic and environmental perspective, from the 2.25 MWp PLTS installation in the Plaju refinery area.

"From an economic point of view, it is hoped that the PLTS installation can reduce the operating burden of gas turbines and consumption of natural gas at the refinery, so that from a fuel economy perspective we are targeting the creation of cost savings of 5,000 US dollars per year and total gas consumption savings of 6,000 tons per year," Mulyono said in a written statement, Friday, June 17.

In terms of the environment, he continued, the PLTS Refinery Plaju is projected to contribute to reducing carbon emissions by 2,000 tons per year.

So in terms of the magnitude of the two potentials, both in terms of economy and impact on the environment, PLTS Refinery Plaju is expected to be a pioneer in alternative energy generation at Pertamina Group's operating locations.

PLTS RU Plaju Refinery is also planned to be a showcase at the G20 event which will be held in Indonesia at the end of 2022.

"We hope that in the future there will be more business initiatives that prioritize profitability, sustainability, and synergy between Pertamina Group, which can continue to be rolled out to accelerate Pertamina's business and support the government's decarbonization program," said Mulyono.

In this project, Pertamina NRE will be the party providing PLTS at the Plaju refinery.

The PLTS to be built is a ground-mounted PLTS with a capacity of 2.25 MW on an area of about 2.2 hectares belonging to the Plaju Refinery.

The energy transition through the use of PLTS in the refinery environment begins with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Pertamina NRE and KPI in March 2021.

Pertamina NRE has so far installed PLTS at the Cilacap Refinery with a capacity of 1.34 MWp and the Dumai Refinery with a capacity of 2 MWp.

"The energy transition must be carried out with a shared commitment, today it can be seen that the commitment to collaboration between Pertamina Group is very effective in supporting the government's mandate to increase the energy mix," said Dannif.

Through this 2.25 MWp PLTS, the potential for emission reductions that can be done is up to 2,500 tons per year. The PLTS is targeted to start construction in July 2022.

"The implementation of renewable energy in the refining and petrochemical environment is a positive wind to increase the competitiveness and sustainability of the refinery," said Isnanto Nugroho.

Pertamina is targeting a 30 percent emission reduction by 2030, by increasing the internal green portfolio of the Pertamina Group by 17 percent.

One of them is through the use of PLTS which is the flagship to realize the energy transition in Pertamina's internal.