Retire Coal PLTU Gradually, Staff Of The Minister Of Energy And Mineral Resources Make Sure Not To Face National Electricity

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - Presidential Regulation Number 112 of 2022 concerning the Acceleration of Renewable Energy Development for the provision of electricity is officially signed by Indonesian President Joko Widodo. In the Presidential Regulation, it was decided not to develop a new Steam Power Plant (PLTU).

"With the decline of Presidential Regulation 112/2022, the plan for the development of New Renewable Energy (EBT) is to be accelerated and there are plans to retire PLTU which has fulfilled its economy," said the Special Staff of the Minister of Energy and Mineral Management Acceleration. and Coal Irwandy Arif in his statement, Tuesday, September 20.

Furthermore, Irwandy explained that retiring PLTU must also be adjusted to the supply and demand of national needs, so as not to disrupt national electricity stability.

"There are also (PLTUs) that are excluded from being retired, namely PLTUs that are already in the RUPTL before the enactment of this Presidential Regulation, then PLTUs that have been integrated and will provide added value to natural resources," he said.

Then another PLTU that is still allowed, explained Irwandy, is the PLTU which has a plan to reduce C02 by 35 percent within the next 10 years.

Meanwhile, on the same occasion, the Director General of Mineral and Coal Ridwan Djamaluddin revealed that in the energy transition, it must also pay attention to the reality that coal is currently still the largest energy supplier.

"The energy transition must be regulated, namely, with justice, meaning that for us it does have coal, so we can still use what we have and is also sustainable, don't be depressed so that the utilization is not optimal," he explained.

Utilization of coal in the energy transition, explained Ridwan, through the development of technology so that it can become cleaner so that it can reduce emissions that arise from coal. "If there are ultra-supercritical power plants, then with co-firing technology that utilizes biomass," added Ridwan.

In addition to raw materials for electricity, Ridwan added, coal can also be used for other derivative products, namely as active carbon, dimethyl ether (DME), gasification to methanol, briket, and others.

"I think the direction is there (use of coal derivatives), however, what is important now is that apart from mastering technology is the time frame, we need time to adjust the ideal ideals that the global wants," he concluded.