PLN And South Korean Companies Cooperate To Implement CCUS Technology

PT PLN (Persero) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Korea Carbon Co., Ltd. regarding the implementation of carbon capture utilizaton and storage (CCUS) technology.

The signing was carried out at the PLN Headquarters, Jakarta, Thursday (7/9). PLN President Director Darmawan Prasodjo through an official statement received in Jakarta, Saturday, said the cooperation was carried out in order to accelerate the energy transition to achieve net zero emissions (NZE) in 2060.

He emphasized that PLN fully supports the government's efforts to develop a sustainable and environmentally friendly energy sector.

This support is realized through the use of environmentally friendly technology such as CCUS to reduce carbon emissions from coal-fueled power plants.

"This is a big concept in which we show the world that currently PLN is leading efforts to fight climate change in Indonesia. We have removed 13 fossil energy gigawatts from the Electricity Added Business Plan (RUPTL) and we will carry out even greater cleaning," said Darmawan.

He explained that in an effort to combat global climate change, collaboration is needed as the key. Therefore, through this kind of collaboration, Darmawan is optimistic that the energy transition roadmap as an effort to fight climate change will be easier than running alone.

"So, I've heard a lot of reports about Korean Carbon which is one of the best institutions, which involves technology for capture and storage of carbon. There are many patterns and many innovations, so I put a lot of hope in this kind of cooperation," said Darmawan.

The goal of the CCUS implementation collaboration is to increase the sustainability of power generation and reduce carbon emissions.

According to him, the decarbonization effort using CCUS is considered strategic because the carbon captured can be converted into other products such as methanol, acid formats to dimethyl ether. Meanwhile, unconversiond CO2 can be used to carry out an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) or ensenched gas recovery (EGS).

"Of course this cannot be separated from the government's big vision to make an energy transition," he said.

Darmawan also revealed that currently PLN has a potential for 37.6 gigawatts (GW) of coal and gas plants that are ready to be installed with CCUS technology. With this technology, the carbon emissions generated from the electric production process can be massively reduced.

In the MoU with Korean Carbon, he said the two parties agreed to immediately conduct a joint study related to the development of sustainable energy, sharing knowledge, and capacity building of PLN employees.

It was also explained that the joint study penetrated not only from a technical point of view but also a commercial CCUS.

In addition, PLN also continues to open the door of cooperation with various other parties regarding CCUS implementation. Darmawan said the amount of implementation costs was an obstacle to its implementation.

For this reason, he said, collaboration with various parties and incentives from the government is needed so that the application of CCUS technology is more affordable.

Korean Advisor Carbon Won-Dong Cho appreciates the energy transition efforts carried out by PLN. He said the MoU was a further step from the meeting that had been held previously.

"I have to say thank you to PLN under the leadership of Mr. Darmawan. This is the beginning, we are trying, and this time we are here in Jakarta for commitment," said Won-Dong Cho.