Indonesia starts construction of 92 megawatt floating solar plant

The country plans to add 42.6 gigawatts of renewable energy, almost 61% of the additional power it plans to raise, to its grid by 2034

Indonesia’s state utility firm Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) has started constructing a 92-megawatt-peak floating solar power plant in the West Java province as part of the country’s renewable energy drive, it said on Friday (Oct 3).

Indonesia plans to add 42.6 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy, almost 61 per cent of the additional power it plans to raise, to its grid by 2034. Solar power’s contribution is expected to be 17.1 GW of the additional capacity.

The upcoming PLN plant on the Saguling reservoir, about 180 kilometres from the capital Jakarta, aims to begin commercial operations in November 2026.

The plant will generate more than 130 GW-hour of electricity every year, PLN said, adding it could reduce carbon emissions by 104,000 tonnes.

“The Saguling floating plant will be an important marker of Indonesia’s clean energy transformation,” PLN chief executive Darmawan Prasodjo said.

It is unclear how much PLN will invest in the plant.

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The Saguling plant follows the 1.7 trillion rupiah (S$132 million) project in West Java that was developed by PLN’s Nusantara Power unit, and United Arab Emirates renewable energy company Masdar, a unit of Mubadala Investment Company. REUTERS