Jakarta – The government is targeting gas-fired power plants (PLTG) as one of the main pillars in its national energy transition strategy for the next decade, according to SKK Migas, the government’s upstream oil and gas business special task force, in an official statement on Monday, 9 June.
This is reflected in the 2025-2034 Electricity Supply Business Plan (RUPTL), where the portion of PLTG dominates the addition of new electricity capacity, especially in the first five years. However, this ambitious target is overshadowed by a crucial issue: the uncertainty of the domestic gas supply.
According to the latest RUPTL document, the cumulative additional capacity of PLTG is expected to reach 10.5 gigawatts (GW) by 2034. The details start from 0.4 GW in 2025, jump to 1.6 GW in 2026, and reach their peak in 2027 with an additional 3.8 GW. After that, the extra capacity gradually decreases: 1.1 GW (2028), 2.4 GW (2029), 0.7 GW (2030), and 0.1 GW each in 2031 to 2033, with a further decrease to 0.2 GW in 2034.
However, the high dependence on PLTG leaves the issue of gas supply as a significant unfinished task. Currently, the government even has to reallocate gas export quotas to fulfil domestic needs, including for power plants.
“For gas supply, we rely heavily on the fields managed by ENI. The production volume is around 1,000 MMscfd,” said Djoko Siswanto, Head of SKK Migas.
According to Djoko, in addition to the supply from ENI, potential gas for power plants also comes from the Donggi Senoro refinery. However, the supply is not due to the addition of new production, but rather to the transfer of existing export contracts.
“Donggi Senoro’s export contract ends in 2027. After that, we will prioritise the gas for domestic needs first. Export only if domestic supply has been fulfilled,” he said.
Djoko also revealed that the government is hoping for several other large projects to strengthen supply in the medium to long term. These include the Abadi Masela project, as well as the Layaran and Tangkulo blocks, which Mubadala Energy is undertaking. (Hartatik)
Banner photo: North Sea Gas Platform – D15-A. Gary Bembridge/Wikimedia commons.
