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JAKARTA – Government targeted to be able to build Geothermal Power Plant (PLTP) Sarulla next year. That was stated by Jero Wacik, Minister of EMR after inaugurating Biomass PLTU in Medan, Monday (9/7/2012).

“The joint decree of ministers has been ready this year and has to be signed, so Sarulla project can be started next year,” said Jero Wacik. 

Jero Wacik also stated that the development of the PLTP is also part of Government effort to optimize the development of geothermal-based power plant because geothermal energy has a big portion in Fast Track Program 10.000 Megawatt (MW) Stage II.

“Fast Track Program Stage I was dominated by coal, for this second stage the percentage of geothermal-based power plant is bigger, followed by hydro energy,” said Jero Wacik.

Currently, the amount of geothermal electricity tariff is regulated in the Regulation of Minister of EMR Number 2 Year 2011 concerning the assignment to PT PLN (Persero) to purchase electricity from PLTP and the benchmark price of electricity purchase by PLN from PLTP. In article 2 is stated that the highest benchmark price for geothermal electricity is US$ 9, 7 cent per kilowatt hour (kWh).

The PLTP built in Java do produce electricity by having price less than US$ 9, 7 cent/kWH. For example, electricity price in PLTP Tampomas in West Java is US$ 6, 6 cent/kWH, PLTP Tangkuban Perahu US$ 5, 9 cent/kWh, and PLTP Ungaran US$ 8, 09 cent/kWh. Meanwhile for PLTP Jailolo in North Maluku, the geothermal electricity price reaches US$ 19, 1 cent/kWH, and in PLTP Jaboi Aceh is US$ 18, 9 cent/kWh.

The installed capacity of geothermal plants up to the mid of 2012 was only 1.226 MW. In fact, the geothermal energy potency in Indonesia reaches 29.000 MW. (AK)