PLN Ready To Develop EBT, Indonesia With A Potential 437 Gigawatts

PLN President Director Darmawan Prasodjo assessed that this energy transition step needs to be taken to ensure the future of the nation's children in the future. (photo: dock. PLN)

NUSA DUA - The Indonesian government reiterated its commitment to accelerating the energy transition to achieve the net zero emission target by 2060.

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan assessed that this target is very likely to be achieved considering that Indonesia's potential for new and renewable energy (EBT) is quite large, reaching 437 gigawatts (GW). The government through PT PLN (Persero) is ready to develop this potential clean energy.

"Mr. Darmawan (President Director of PLN) mentioned and reminded me that until 2060 the potential for investment in renewable energy is around USD 700 billion. So this is a big cake. That's why I am very confident that Indonesia can accelerate the energy transition because there is so much potential that we can do in this country, if we manage it well," said Luhut at the BNEF Summit in Nusa Dua, Bali, Saturday (12/11).

With the huge potential of Indonesia's EBT, according to Luhut, this could be an opportunity for cooperation for all global countries to jointly reduce carbon emissions.

"You can see, Indonesia is committed to net zero emissions 2060 or sooner. And again, I'm sure we can make that happen sooner. Technology and teamwork, and we learn," said Luhut.

PLN President Director Darmawan Prasodjo assessed that this energy transition step needs to be taken to ensure the future of the nation's children in the future. This is also the value carried out by PLN to be fully committed to the energy transition.

"In this case, PLN decides that we have a full commitment to do that. We do not only because there is an international agreement. Not just because of a policy. We do that because we really care," Darmawan said on the same occasion.

Various efforts have been made by PLN in the energy transition agenda. In addition to aggressively building EBT-based plants, PLN also encourages the electric vehicle ecosystem so that it can reduce the number of fossil energy dependence amid the challenges of net zero emissions targets and energy crises.

"Therefore, we must ensure that in the near future, clean energy will ensure energy resilience and affordability," said Darmawan.

For example, in the short term the use of natural gas is one of the important strategies in the energy transition apart from the development of EBT. In the long term, PLN focuses on developing large-scale renewable energy combined with energy storage and interconnection.

"We have succeeded in removing 13 GWs of coal power plants in the planning phase. This means that we have been able to avoid 1.8 billion tons of CO2 emissions for 25 years," said Darmawan.

In addition, PLN has also changed the plan for the construction of coal plants by 1.1 GW to clean energy-based and 880 MW of coal plants converted to gas-based.

"We are also building a very aggressive RUPTL in adding an EBT of 20.9 GW or 51.6 percent increase in power plants from 2021-2030 based on EBT. This is the greenest RUPTL in PLN history and in Indonesian history," said Darmawan.

Darmawan added that this year, PLN was able to reduce emissions by up to 35 million tons. However, if there is no maximum effort, carbon emissions could reach 240 million tons.

"So this is very important how all of this is not only in one high level strategy, but can be translated into effective operations in the field," said Darmawan.

Therefore, it is necessary to have technological innovation, financing, and policies that allow renewable energy to be developed on a large scale. PLN itself, said Darmawan, has developed a comprehensive roadmap to achieve net zero emissions by 2060.

"PLN is fully committed to net zero emissions. In the past, our main business is to provide electricity for customers, but in the future the main task of PLN is to maintain a good environment and electricity becomes one of the company's business products," concluded Darmawan.