Indonesia mulls retirement of ageing plants in favour of renewables

The country has 2,256 ageing diesel plants with a total capacity of 1,778MW.

The Indonesia government is looking into replacing aging fossil fuel-fired power plants with renewable energy plants, reports The Jakarta Post.

The study, which officials hope to complete by the end of the year, involve mapping possible renewable sources and future growth in targeted regions, according to Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry’s director general for electrification Rida Mulyana.

State-owned electricity company PLN conducts the study. PLN operates the aging plants.

Indonesia has 2,246 diesel-fired power plants (PLTD) that are over 15 years old, with 16.2% coming from the province of Aceh, ministry data revealed. These plants have a combined installed capacity of 1,778MW.

The country aims for renewables to contribute 23% to its power production by 2025 and 17.5% by 2019, However it only hit 12.36% amidst regulatory headwinds.