Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of the Republic of Indonesia

06/23/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/23/2021 04:06

Energy Ministry Says Cofiring Improves Biomass Economies of Scale

Energy Ministry Says Cofiring Improves Biomass Economies of Scale

Tuesday, 22 June 2021 - Dibaca 165 kali

MINISTRY OF ENERGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES

REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA

PRESS RELEASE

NUMBER: 215.Pers/04/SJI/2021

Date: 22 June 2021

Energy Ministry Says Cofiring Improves Biomass Economies of Scale

The use of biomass to substitute fuel in coal-fired power plants is in line with Indonesia's efforts towards net zero emission in the future, Secretary of Directorate General of New, Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation (NREEC) of Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (EMR) Sahid Junaidi has said at the launching of Go Live Commercial Cofiring of Indramayu, Paiton 9, and Tanjung Awar Awar coal-fired power plants held online on Monday (21/6).

Besides increasing the contribution of renewable energy to the national energy mix, cofiring also makes a positive impact on the development of circular economy because it creates employment and business opportunities in the biomass sector, especially those based on waste, Sahid added.

The biomass for cofiring can come from agricultural waste, wood processing industry waste, and household waste as well as energy crops grown on dry land or cultivated in Energy Plantation Forests such as calliandra trees, gamal trees (Gliricidia sepium), and river tamarind (Leucaena leucocephala).

According to Sahid, the biggest challenge in biomass cofiring is maintaining sustainable supply of biomass feedstock while still paying attention to the economic aspect, so that the price of generated electricity remains affordable and does not exceed the stipulated cost of electricity generation (BPP).

'We support the efforts made by PLN to continue to look for opportunities for biomass utilization, make commitments with large biomass suppliers such as Perhutani, PTPN, and Shang Hyang Seri, and promote the development of medium and small-scale biomass market. We hope that these efforts will be continued at every coal-fired power plant in Indonesia so that there will be a larger market of supply and demand and improved economies of scale,' said Sahid.

'We hope this program does not stop here, but will be continued with a higher percentage of biomass mix,' Sahid continued.

For the record, until June 2021 state electricity utility PT PLN (Persero) has successfully run coal and biomass cofiring at 17 coal-fired power plants. PLN can generate the equivalent of 189 Mega Watt (MW) of green energy from the cofiring project.

Of the total 17 coal-fired power plants that use biomass commercially, about 12 are spread in Java and 5 outside Java. These power plants are managed by two subsidiaries of PLN, namely PT Indonesia Power and PT Pembangkitan Jawa Bali.

PT Indonesia Power generates green energy through cofiring at Suralaya 1-4, Suralaya 5-7, Sanggau, Jeranjang, Labuan, Lontar, Pelabuhan Ratu, Barru, and Adipala coal-fired power plants.

Meanwhile, PJB produces green energy through cofiring of Paiton Units 1-2, Pacitan, Ketapang, Anggrek, Rembang, Paiton 9, Tanjung Awar-Awar, and Indramayu coal-fired power plants. (IY)

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