Pursuing Target 100 GW From PLTS, Bahlil Meets PV Solar Company

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Bahlil Lahadalia held a bilateral meeting with the Solar Photo Voltaik (PV) producer company, totaling Solar on the sidelines of his working visit to China.

"We know that Indonesia's solar energy potential reaches thousands of gigawatts, so it is necessary to explore cooperation with Solar PV producing companies so that this great solar energy potential can be optimized to achieve energy resilience and self-sufficiency," Bahlil said in a statement to the media, Thursday, August 14.

He added that Indonesia has a potential solar energy of up to 3,294 Gigawatt Peak (GWp), but until December 2024, only about 912 Megawatts (MW) have been used.

Of this great potential, he said, Indonesia has the opportunity to become a leader in the energy transition at the regional and global levels. Therefore, optimization is needed in planning the provision of cleaner and more reliable electricity.

One of the focuses of the discussion is strengthening cooperation with PTtama Mas Agra Indonesia (TMAI), which is a joint venture between warna Solar and local partners operating in the Kendal Special Economic Zone, Central Java.

TMAI was founded in 2023 as the first tier-1 integrated factory in Indonesia for cell production and solar modules, with an initial capacity of 1 GWp per year and an expansion plan of up to 3 GW in the next 2'3 years. The technology used includes high-efficiency N-type i-TOPCon in its class.

The presence of TMAI is expected to reduce dependence on imports of energy industry components in Indonesia and accelerate industrial downstreaming, including the creation of ecosystems and domestic solar energy supply chains, both horizontally and vertically, such as the manufacture of wafers and ingots, generally silicon, which is used in the semiconductor industry, as well as the development of polylicon smelters.

Bahlil hopes that the meeting can open the potential for cooperation to optimize the development of supply chains and the domestic solar energy ecosystem. An increase in the production capacity of cells and solar modules with TMAI can also be done to support and accelerate expansion in order to meet domestic energy needs and reduce dependence on imports.

"Cooperation can be expanded with the use and transfer of the latest more sophisticated tenology, and the development of integrated energy solutions ranging from research and development, menufacturing, project development, to Internet of Things (IoT)-based systems, and energy storage," he said.