PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE), part of Pertamina Power & New Renewable Energy (PNRE) subholding, supports the acceleration of the transition to sustainable energy through collaboration with PT ORMAT Geothermal Indonesia in the development of a geothermal power plant using binary plant technology.
PGE President Director and the President Director of PT ORMAT Geothermal Indonesia signed the memorandum of understanding in Nusa Dua Bali on Tuesday, October 18, 2022.
PGE President Director Ahmad Yuniarto said that the joint study collaboration for the development of binary technology between PGE and ORMAT could accelerate geothermal development in Indonesia. Moreover, the potential for geothermal development with the implementation of binary technology in PGE's geothermal work area could increase the installed capacity to 210 megawatts (MW).
The binary unit technology is a facility that utilizes brine (liquid/ geothermal water) to generate electricity before the brine is injected back into the earth, so that it can increase the capacity of the electricity produced. Currently, binary technology has been applied in the PGE Lahendong Area, North Sulawesi with a capacity of 500 kW as a pilot project for implementing the binary cycle in PGE's working area.
The advantage of this technology from the upstream side is that the construction of binary units does not require the drilling of new wells so it is faster and the risk is lower. The construction is faster also because the system is modular so that the investment is more efficient. "We hope that the collaboration between PGE and ORMAT can be a milestone for geothermal development in Indonesia," said Ahmad on Thursday, October 20, 2022.
In running the business, PGE continues to be committed to developing geothermal energy and ensuring the implementation of Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) as an integrated part of PGE's geothermal business. The implementation of these ESG aspects is an effort to provide added value and support the government programs related to the use of new, renewable energy that is environmentally friendly, especially the geothermal energy.
"PGE's commitment to developing geothermal energy can contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of Goal 7 (Clean and Affordable Energy), Goal 12 (Responsible Construction and Production), Goal 13 (Climate Change Management), and Goal 15 (Land Ecosystem)," he said.
PGE currently manages 13 Geothermal Working Areas (WKP) with an installed capacity of 1.8 GW, of which 672 MW are operated and managed directly by PGE and 1,205 MW are managed under a Joint Operation Contract scenario. Geothermal installed capacity in PGE's working areas contributes about 82% of the total installed geothermal capacity in Indonesia, with the potential to reduce CO2 emissions of around 9.7 million tons of CO2 per year.
