Indonesia's state utility Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) is planning to add 32 gigawatt (GW) of renewable energy capacity and invest in grids that would be able to connect to more renewable power sources, its chief executive said on Wednesday.
The plan is part of the company's efforts to speed up adoption of renewable power and reduce reliance on coal, which is used to generate about half of Indonesia's power output.
PLN is revising its power supply master plan to incorporate renewables, Chief Executive Darmawan Prasodjo said.
Under the current supply master plan for 2021-2030, the company planned to expand renewables-sourced power capacity by 20.9 gigawatt, or around 51% of its total new additional power generation capacity for the period.
"With this accelerated renewable energy development, 75% of our additional generation capacity will be based on renewables and 25% will be gas-based," Darmawan told reporters on the sideline of ASEAN Indo-Pacific Forum.
Darmawan did not specify how the planned change would affect Indonesia's power source mix. As of January, 14% of power is generated from renewables.
The company is also planning to renew its grid to be able to connect more renewable energy to its electricity networks, allowing PLN to increase its variable power load from renewable sources to 28GW from currently 5GW, he added.
Indonesia hopes funds pledged under the Just Energy Transition (JETP) would help finance PLN's planned grid installation, senior cabinet minister Luhut Pandjaitan said at a separate event on Wednesday.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris who its attending the ASEAN meetings this week is expected to discuss Indonesia's JETP with President Joko Widodo when they meet on Wednesday.
The challenges and delays faced by Indonesia's JETP investment blueprint were among the top issues discussed at business forums held on the sideline of the summit.
Fabby Tumiwa, executive director at energy think tank Institute for Essential Services Reform and who is part of JETP working group, said Indonesia needs to overhaul power tariffs policy to allow wider adoption of renewables.
(This story has been corrected to rectify the size of renewable shares in power mix, from 11% to 14%, in paragraph 6)






