https://arab.news/5v9nu
- Country’s first floating solar plant was built with the help of UAE’s Masdar
- Renewables currently account for about 13 percent of Indonesia’s energy mix
JAKARTA: Indonesia has signed an agreement with the UAE to develop a 100 MW floating solar power plant in West Java, its second collaboration with Emirati giant Masdar after the Cirata project — Southeast Asia’s largest floating photovoltaic installation.
The project was announced by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s office following his meeting with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
Masdar will help Indonesia’s state utility company PLN to build a solar power infrastructure on West Java’s Jatigede reservoir, more than 200 km east of the capital Jakarta.
“Indonesia and the UAE, we have such close and friendly relations … Masdar is also one of the best companies in the world when it comes to renewable energy,” Husin Bagis, Indonesia’s ambassador to the UAE, told Arab News on Thursday.
The project will be Masdar’s second floating solar plant, after the 145 MW Cirata Floating Solar Photovoltaic Plant on a reservoir, also in West Java. It was inaugurated in November 2023 by then President Joko Widodo and cost $100 million.
Aside from being the biggest in Southeast Asia, the Cirata plant, which can power around 50,000 households, is the third-largest floating solar plant in the world.
During Subianto’s Abu Dhabi visit, Indonesia and the UAE also agreed to increase the capacity of the Cirata solar power plant.
“UAE is looking for joint ventures in Indonesia … There have been talks of more renewable energy projects in Indonesia to help us build at least a capacity of 2 GW in the near future,” Bagis said.
According to PLN, the plant’s maximum capacity could still be expanded, as the solar panels installed so far only occupied about 4 percent of the Cirata reservoir. Regulations permit up to 20 percent of the area to be utilized by the plant.
In 2023, renewables accounted for around 13 percent of Indonesia’s energy mix. The country of 270 million people has been working to increase its renewable energy sources to meet its pledge of achieving net-zero emissions by 2060.
Indonesia is one of the world’s largest producers and consumers of heavily polluting coal, and most of its power needs are met by burning fossil fuels. In 2023, renewables accounted for around 13 percent of its energy mix.