Jakarta – Pertamina through its Pertamina New and Renewable Energy (Pertamina NRE) sub-holding aims to become a pioneering company developing clean hydrogen in Southeast Asia by 2027. To develop the clean hydrogen ecosystem, Pertamina NRE has collaborated with several strategic partners, both domestic and foreign, such as TEPCO, IGNIS, Sembcorp, Chevron, Pupuk Indonesia, and Krakatau Steel.
Pertamina NRE Chief Executive Officer Dannif Danusaputro revealed that the latest collaboration is a memorandum of understanding with Transportation Gas Indonesia (TGI) in developing a clean hydrogen transportation business. A collaboration with TEPCO to develop green hydrogen in the Lahendong geothermal area was approved by NEDO, Japan’s national research and development organisation, to receive a grant for research conducted in this initiative.
Although hydrogen has not yet reached the expected economic value, hydrogen has the opportunity to become a game changer in the renewable energy sector. This is because clean hydrogen is considered a solution to reducing emissions, especially in sectors that are difficult to decarbonise, such as heavy industry and transportation.
“Although the development has never been done, the potential for clean hydrogen in Indonesia as a fuel is quite large. Pertamina Group has great potential in the development of clean hydrogen,” said Danusaputro at the EBTKE Conex 2023 panel discussion broadcast virtually.
Furthermore, according to him, Indonesia’s abundant renewable energy sources and large market size drive the potential for high hydrogen demand in the future, especially in the heavy industry and transport sectors.
Hydrogen is obtained by electrolysis of water, which separates water compounds into hydrogen and oxygen gas using electrical energy. Clean hydrogen is produced using electrical energy from green energy-based plants or fossil energy, but by capturing the CO2 so that it is not released into the atmosphere.
In its hydrogen development roadmap, Pertamina NRE aims to become a pioneer in the Southeast Asian market by 2027. From 2027 to 2030, Pertamina NRE aims to start exporting clean hydrogen to the international market and, in parallel, work on the domestic market.
“And starting in 2031, Pertamina NRE has the ambition to become a net hydrogen exporter and lead the hydrogen economy in Indonesia,” said Danusaputro. (Hartatik)
