Jakarta—Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia has called on the state electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) to expedite the development of the geothermal power plant (PLTP) in Maluku. This will help reduce the region’s dependency on coal power generation.
The energy ministry said in a statement dated April 6, 2025, that Maluku has several potential geothermal power plant developments. These are PLTP Wapsalit, with a potential capacity of 20 MW in Buru Island, and PLTP Tulehu, with a potential capacity of 2×10 MW in Ambon Island.
PLTP Wapsalit project is still under exploration and set to be followed by construction and then commercial operation in 2028. Meanwhile, PLTP Tulehu 2×10 MW is still in the procurement phase and is projected to begin commercial operation in 2031.
Minister Bahlil also said there is potential geothermal energy in Banda Baru, Seram Island, which could generate 25 MW of power.
At present, Maluku province is still dependent on fossil fuels, with a total power capacity of 409 MW. Around 99 percent of the power capacity, or 406 MW, is contributed by fossil fuel power generation, namely diesel fuel power plants and gas-based power plants.
Renewable energy-based power plants, consisting of solar power plants and micro-hydro power plants (PLTM), only contributed 3 MW of power generation capacity of the province or around 1 percent. (Roffie Kurniawan)
Banner photo: Image generated by OpenAI’s DALL·E via ChatGPT (2024)
