Jakarta – PT. Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) plans to develop several solar power stations in Bali with a total generating capacity of 174.8 megawatts (MW) until 2030 as the resort island is targeting a net zero emission by 2030, a company executive said.
The state-owned utility will either farm out some or all of the projects to independent power producers (IPPs), or tasked its subsidiary to develop them either on its own or in cooperation with partners, said Wayan Udayana, the general manager of PLN’s Bali branch.
The western and the eastern parts of the island will likely be chosen as the locations to install photovoltaic cells as land prices over there are still relatively cheaper than in other parts of Bali, Udayana added.
The island got its first solar-generated electricity in November 2022 with the operation commencement of PLN’s solar power plants in Nusa Penida. The hybrid power plant has the peak capacity to generate 3.5 MW, which can reduce CO2 emission by 4.19 tons annually, Udayana said. The Nusa Penida power plant is part of the company to generate 174.8 MW of renewable energy.
The company initially proposed to develop clean and renewable projects with a total capacity of 238.8 MW, but it scrapped the plans on 55 MW geothermal and 9-MW biomass projects, Udayana stated. The geothermal project is shelved due to opposition from local residents, while the biomass one is due to the local government’s decision to process waste into fuel, he mentioned.
The government tasked PLN to lead the development of green energy in the country through its subsidiary PT. Energy Management Indonesia.
The government in 2014 began to set a goal to boost the contribution of renewable energy to 31% by 2050 from around 6% at that time. (I Made Sentana)
