Accelerate Renewable Energy, Erick Thohir Proposes Lakes In Indonesia Built By PLTS

SOE Minister Erick Thohir. (Photo: Mery Handayani/VOI)

JAKARTA - Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Erick Thohir said his party would encourage investment from the development of new and renewable energy (EBT). One of them is the development of solar power plants (PLTS) in lakes in Indonesia.

According to Erick, floating PLTS in the lake can be an investment opportunity that can be expanded. Erick said, Indonesia itself has collaborated with the United Arab Emirates to build the Cirata PLTS, in Purwakarta, West Java.

"For example, in the lake area now it can be a floating solar panel, one of which partnered with the UAE," he said after the opening of the ASEAN-Indo-Pacific, at the Mulia Hotel, Senayan, Jakarta, Tuesday, September 5.

Erick said, with a larger area to use, there will also be opportunities for investment. He said, the limit for this cooperation initially had a limit of 5 percent of the area used by PLTS, but in the end it was increased to 25 percent of the area.

That way, continued Erick, from the beginning PLTS Cirata produced 130 MegaWatts (MW), it could become 1 Giga Watt (GW).

He also hopes that similar steps can be carried out in other lakes in Indonesia.

"Imagine if we lakes we are also friendly to renewable energy. Now, this big investment is what we are open to," he explained.

According to him, this step can also encourage economic growth in Indonesia and also contribute to the economy of ASEAN and the world.

"These things are what I think we must encourage that we make sure that economic growth does not occur where, but what is a priority in Indonesia, Indonesia contributes economic growth in Southeast Asia and also in the world," he said.