Jakarta (VNA) - The Indonesian Government plans to launch an auction for six geothermal projects, which have a combined capacity of 255 megawatts and total investment capital of 1.02 billion USD, in September this year.

The auction aims to expand Indonesia’s renewable energy capacity, according to the Jakarta Post.  

The projects are Kapahiang in Bengkulu with a capacity of 110 MW, Simbolon Samosir in North Sumatra with 110 MW, Borapulu in Central Sulawesi with 10 MW, Lamiding in North Maluku with 10 MW and Oka Ile Ange and Mount Sirung in East Nusa Tenggara with capacities of 10 MW and 5 MW, respectively.

Yunus Saefulhak, Geothermal Director at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, said the amount of investment in each geothermal region varies, depending on the region and local conditions. But on average, the investment for geothermal development is around 4 million USD per megawatt.

The auction is expected to last for about 4-5 months, he said.

The government aims for Indonesia, which is now the world’s third-largest geothermal producer, to become the world’s largest by 2021, overtaking current number one, the US.

Indonesia’s total geothermal capacity amounted to 1,643.5 MW in 2016. The country expects to have a total geothermal capacity of 3,559.5 MW within the next four years.

The US’s geothermal capacity is expected to stagnate at 3,450 MW with no new developments being planned. Meanwhile the Philippines, currently the world’s second largest geothermal producer, has fully tapped its potential and may see its capacity decline from 1,870 MW currently.

This year, Indonesia will add an additional 215 MW capacity from the Sarulla geothermal power plant in North Sumatra, 30 MW from Karaha in West Java, 20 MW from Sorik Marapi in North Sumatra and 55 MW from Ulubelu Unit 4 in Lampung.-VNA
VNA