Indonesia pursues wind power

UPI, July 5, 2012

UPI File Photo/Pat Benic

JAKARTA, July 5 (UPI) -- Indonesia is investing in wind power to cut its import bills of fossil fuels.

State utility Perusahaan Listrik Negara Director Nur Pamudji said his company is eager to see the country's second large-scale wind farm begin operations by the end of 2013.

UPC Renewables Indonesia and Binatek Reka Energi are constructing the $100 million, 50-megawatt wind farm off the coast of Samas in Yogyakarta, which will house 16 to 33 turbines.

Pamudji said, "This will be Indonesia's second wind farm after the one in Sukabumi. It will be the largest. UPC Renewables will study the investment plan and come up with a price. Then we will sign power-purchase agreement," the Jakarta Globe reported Wednesday.

Pamudji added PLN is interested in purchasing electricity from the UPC Renewables Samas wind farm because it would save billions of dollars that would otherwise be spent on costlier fuel imports.

Binatek Reka Energi Director Erwin Jahja said, "This wind power project is safe for the community and will help Indonesia achieve its target for the use of clean energy."

Indonesian Developer Invests $100m in Java Wind Farm

Jakarta Globe, Dion Bisara, April 22, 2012

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Wind farm developer UPC Renewables Indonesia plans to invest up to $100 million for a wind farm on the south Java coast to tap into Indonesia’s growing demand for cheaper energy.

The privately held company signed an agreement on Friday with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources to build 33 wind turbines off the coast of Samas in Yogyakarta, a special region on the southern side of Java that faces the Indian Ocean. The total capacity of the wind farm will be 50 megawatts.

“This will be a milestone for a wind farm on a commercial scale,” said Kardaya Warnika, director general of renewable energy at the ministry.

UPC Renewables will partner with a local company, Binatek Reka Energi, which has been studying and collecting wind-pattern data on the south Java coast for the past four years.

The agreement for the power purchase has yet to be signed, Kardaya said. UPC Renewables has offered a purchasing period of 30 years at a price of Rp 1,200 (13 cents) per kilowatt hour for the first 20 years and Rp 700 per kWh beyond that.

That compares to an average production cost of Rp 1,100 per kWh last year and an average selling price of Rp 729 per kWh at the state power company, PLN.

Kardaya said UPC Renewables would start erecting the wind turbines once the power purchase agreement had been signed, and planned to use local materials as much as possible in the construction. It plans to complete the project in 15 months.

Steven Zwaan, director of  UPC Renewables, said he hoped the process could be done swiftly so the wind farm could start producing next year. He hopes that success with this project will generate interest to build more facilities across Indonesia.

In PLN’s 2011-20 electricity supply plan, the utility forecast states that Indonesia will needs to provide an additional 55,346 megawatts of power capacity over the next decade, assuming yearly economic growth of 7 percent, at a total investment estimated at $96.2 billion.

The plan outlines an aggressive decline in using oil fuel for the country’s power, shifting to cheaper gas and coal. Renewable energy would comprise 18 percent of total power production by the end of this decade, from just 10 percent currently. Wind energy, however, has yet to be included in the plan.

Indonesia to soon develop renewable energy

Antara News, Fri, April 6 2012 

 "Indonesia has oil reserves of about 4 billion barrels, and it is estimated this will run out within the next 11 years. Therefore, we need to develop renewable energy as soon as possible."

Kardaya Warnika.
(FOTO ANTARA)

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia will soon develop renewable energy to replace the country`s diminishing oil reserves, according to Deputy Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, Kardaya Warnika.

"Indonesia has oil reserves of about 4 billion barrels, and it is estimated this will run out within the next 11 years. Therefore, we need to develop renewable energy as soon as possible," Kardaya recently said on the sidelines of a seminar entitled `The Development of New Renewable Energy to Save Fossil Fuel for the Sake of National Resilience`.

Officials note that renewable energy could become a solution for dealing with the energy crisis and maintaining energy resilience.

Currently, the nation receives up to 95 percent of its energy supply from fossil energy, such as oil, natural gas and coal.

The attraction of renewable energy includes its being environmentally friendly, endless and available domestically.

"Investment in oil and gas would require billions of US dollars, while renewable energy needs only billions of rupiahs," he noted.

The government hopes that the development of renewable energy will reach 25 percent of the nation`s needs by 2025. However, subsidies are a factor hampering the development of renewable energy, he added.

The ministry is currently developing 100 megawatts of solar power energy (PLTS) and 50 megawatts of windmill power energy.

A location for the development of PLTS is being looked for, while a windmill power energy plant will be built in Yogyakarta.

Editor: Ella Syafputri

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Latulahat windmill a model for power self-reliance in rural areas

M. Azis Tunny, The Jakarta Post, Ambon

A 10-meter tower sits atop a hill on the west coast of Ambon Island, Maluku. On its peak, three propellers, measuring 4.5 meters in diameter each, rotate in the wind.

The windmill in Latulahat village isn't just a power generating device; it's a step toward energy independence and a cleaner environment.

Dwindling fossil fuel reserves, thus far the primary source of energy used to generate electricity in Indonesia, have driven some in the country to look for other sources of energy.

The pilot project is a joint venture between the Maluku provincial administration and Sciement Group from Russia.

The 5,000-watt windmill adjusts to handle wind speeds of between 3.5 meters and 25 meters per second and can supply three-phase electricity at between 220 to 380 volts. It should last up to 20 years and can power at least 40 households. The device not only produces electricity; it also pumps ground water.

Other rural areas could end up following Latulahat's lead, said State Minister for the Development of Disadvantaged Regions Saifullah Yusuf when he launched the project recently. He credited the Maluku provincial administration with a significant breakthrough in the field of power generation.

"We should use the program being developed by the Maluku governor as an example," he said.

Saifullah said rural areas were especially affected by the lack of alternative energy sources.

"Most villages have no access to electricity because they totally depend on the PLN state power company. Even if they are connected, they still can't afford to use it."

He said based on 2005 data, 30 percent of the 17,611 villages in Indonesia have never had access to electricity since the country gained its independence. Of the remaining villages, only half can afford to use electricity.

Of Maluku's approximately 800 villages, 340 are not connected to the power network.

"The provincial administration's effort to produce wind-generated electricity should be commended and jointly supported to promote power self-reliance in rural areas," said Saifullah.

The types of energy appropriate for rural areas may vary. For example, an area which has less wind could develop a solar or hydropower system.

Maluku Governor Karel Albert Ralahalu said Maluku was uniquely positioned to take advantage of windmill technology.

"We should tap power from the wind because it would be very beneficial for Maluku, which consists of small islands situated in the center of the wind flow from Australia and the Pacific Ocean. The wind potential is enormous all year round," said Karel.

He said people in rural areas could have access to electricity within 10 years by turning to local sources, especially renewable ones such as hydro, solar and wind.

Maluku Mining and Energy Office head Chris Hehanussa said the wind energy program was eco-friendly and inexpensive to operate because the windmill only needs lubricants to continue running