After Cirata, Two More Floating Plants on the Making

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- After the construction project of a floating solar power plant in Cirata, West Java, is completed, the Indonesian Ministry of Energy (ESDM) said it will replicate the floating power plant in several other locations in Indonesia.

Director General of New Energy, Renewables, and Energy Conservation (EBTKE) of the Ministry of ESDM Yudo Dwinanda Priaadi revealed that the potential of floating hydroelectric power plants on lakes and other dams in Indonesia reaches 89.36 GW in 295 locations.

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Of the total potential floating power plants, it consists of floating hydroelectric power plants in lakes totaling 74.67 GW in 36 locations and floating hydroelectric power plants in dams totaling 14.7 GW in 259 locations.

Cirata Floating Solar PV Power Plant (PLTS) project has a 192 megawatt peak (MWp) capacity of 200 hectares. The power plant is built on the Cirata Reservoir and will be the largest in Southeast Asia.

“What we need to do next is replicate this (Floating Power Plant) and we will be scaling up with so many potential reservoirs in Indonesia, given that the government has recently been actively building reservoirs and dams,” Yudo said, in an official statement quoted Friday, (10/11/2023).

In the next few years, Yudo added, there will be two floating power plants that will also operate, namely Saguling and Singkarak floating power plants.

“The nearest one is now Saguling, the first dam of the Citarum river cascade, and the other Singkarak, that's the closest,” he explained.

Based on the Electricity Supply Business Plan (RUPTL) of PT. PLN (Persero) 2021-2030, Saguling Floating Power Plant in West Java will have a capacity of 60 MW, while Singkarak Floating PTLS in West Sumatra has a capacity of 48 MW.

In addition, based on RUPTL, there will still be five Floating Power Plants to be built until 2030, namely in Wonogiri Reservoir in central Java with 100 MW, Sutami Reservoir in East Java with 122 MW, Jatiluhur Reservoir in West Java with 100 MW, Mrica Reservoir in West Java 60 MW, and Wonorejo Reservoir in East Java of 122 MW.