Jakarta – PLN Indonesia Power (PLN IP) has successfully conducted a trial of applying green ammonia fuel at the Labuan Steam Power Plant (PLTU) with a 2 x 300 Megawatts capacity. In a press statement on Thursday, 27 February, PLN IP said this trial can potentially reduce carbon emissions by 70,640.64 tonnes of CO₂ per year.
In this trial, PLN IP applied ammonia cofiring, or burning ammonia in addition to other fuels, at 3 per cent for 8 hours with a total use of 50 tonnes of ammonia. PLN IP’s President Director, Edwin Nugraha Putra, revealed that this success proves that ammonia cofiring technology can be implemented to reduce dependence on coal.
“From this trial, we can reduce coal usage by 4.5 tonnes per hour, contributing to an emission reduction of 9.45 tonnes of CO₂ per hour. If implemented sustainably, this is equivalent to planting around 70,000 trees annually,” Edwin said.
He said the success results from collaboration between PLN Indonesia Power, IHI Corporation, and Pupuk Kujang. Pupuk Kujang acts as a provider of green ammonia derived from green hydrogen production, while IHI Corporation provides ammonia burner technology to support the implementation of cofiring in PLTU.
The Director General of New Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation (EBTKE) of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Eniya Listiani Dewi, appreciated this initiative, which is in line with the National Hydrogen Strategy and the National Hydrogen and Ammonia Roadmap.
“The synergy between PLN Indonesia Power, Pupuk Kujang, and IHI Corporation is an important milestone in reducing emissions from the power sector. Implementing ammonia cofiring in coal-fired power plants is a strategic step in achieving Net Zero Emission (NZE) by 2060,” Mr Eniya said.
Meanwhile, the Director General of Electricity at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Jisman P. Hutajulu, emphasised that the electricity sector has a crucial role in Indonesia’s energy transition.
“The government has developed the National Electricity General Plan (RUKN) as a roadmap for energy transition. One of the main programs in this roadmap is the implementation of biomass cofiring and ammonia cofiring in PLTU to reduce carbon emissions gradually,” Jisman explained.
On the other hand, Director of Corporate Planning and Business Development of PT PLN (Persero), Hartanto Wibowo, said that ammonia cofiring is the first step of a more significant transformation in the electricity industry.
“To quote Neil Armstrong, ‘One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.’ Today, we are taking ‘One small step for PLN, one giant step for Indonesia.’ This is a historic moment, the first ammonia cofiring in Indonesia, which will be a stepping stone for developing similar technologies in the future,” said Hartanto.
Through the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the Japanese government gave full support to this project. Deputy Commissioner for International Affairs of METI’s Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, Masanori Tsuruda, stated that the project can potentially become a model for Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) member countries.
“I am very pleased to see that the project is progressing well and showing real progress. AZEC countries are committed to simultaneously achieving decarbonisation, economic growth and energy security. We hope this project becomes an example for other countries,” said Masanori. (Hartatik)
Banner photo: Image generated by OpenAI’s DALL·E via ChatGPT (2025)
