Jakarta—The Indonesian government aims to increase the installed capacity of wind power plants to 37 gigawatts (GW) by 2060 to accelerate the transition to clean energy.
Director General of New, Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation (EBTKE) of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR), Eniya Listiani Dewi, said on Thursday, September 26, that this target will be achieved gradually, with an initial step of adding 5 GW of capacity until 2030.
“We are currently discussing the National Electricity General Plan (RUKN) and the General Plan for Electricity Supply (RUPTL) 2025-2035. One of the main focuses in the plan is to increase the capacity of wind power plants by 5 GW until 2030,” Eniya said in the discussion “Strengthening Wind Energy Development in Indonesia”.
Indonesia has enormous wind energy potential, making it one of the largest New Renewable Energy (NRE) sources after solar energy. Based on MEMR data, the total wind potential in Indonesia reaches 154.6 GW, consisting of 60.4 GW of onshore wind potential and 94.2 GW of offshore wind potential.
However, despite its huge potential, wind energy utilisation in Indonesia is still relatively low. Until 2024, the installed capacity of wind farms will only reach 152.3 Megawatts (MW).
“Compared to the total existing wind potential, the current utilization is still very small. We aim to increase the installed capacity to 37 GW by 2060,” Eniya explained.
Eastern Indonesia has the biggest potential
Most of Indonesia’s wind potential is in the eastern regions, such as Maluku, Papua, and Nusa Tenggara, which are estimated to hold around 40% of the total national wind potential. In addition, other areas such as South Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, and the eastern and southern regions of Java Island also have great potential for wind farm development.
Eniya also highlighted the potential of wind power plants to support the tourism sector, referring to the experience of European countries such as the Netherlands, where wind power plants have become one of the tourist attractions.
“Wind power plants in Indonesia can not only be utilized as a source of energy but also as a tourist destination in areas with great wind potential,” she added.
To achieve the target of 37 GW by 2060, the government and PT PLN (Persero) will integrate wind power development into the RUPTL and RUKN. This is expected to accelerate the utilisation of wind energy, considering that Indonesia’s renewable energy development is still lagging behind other countries in Southeast Asia.
“The government continues to accelerate the transition to clean energy. With a measurable plan and great natural potential, we are optimistic that the target of 37 GW by 2060 can be achieved,” Eniya said.
The success of wind farm development will largely depend on government policies and investment support from the private sector. The government is currently trying to attract more investment in renewable energy, including wind energy.
“We encourage private participation in the development of wind power projects so that this target can be achieved more quickly and effectively,” Eniya concluded. (Hartatik)
