Masdar and PLN to develop Indonesia’s first floating solar power plant

Abu Dhabi: Masdar on Wednesday signed a power purchase agreement with Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), the state electricity company in Indonesia, to develop the first floating solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in the country.

Dr Sultan Bin Ahmad Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and chairman of Masdar, and Zulkifli Zaini, president director, PLN, formally exchanged documents relating to the agreement in a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Joko Widodo, President of Indonesia, were present at the ceremony.

The 145-megawatt (MW) PV plant, which will also be Masdar’s first floating solar PV project, will be built on a 225-hectare plot of the 6200-hectare Cirata Reservoir, in the West Java region. Masdar is developing the plant with PT Pembangkitan Jawa-Bali (PT PJB), a subsidiary of PLN.

“The UAE has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to promoting and investing in clean energy projects around the world. This agreement between Masdar and Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) marks a significant milestone in Indonesia’s sustainable energy journey,” said Al Jaber.

“Leveraging innovative solutions such as this floating solar PV project will be critical to the nation achieving its renewable targets and to supporting its sustainable growth,” he added.

“Masdar will continue to support the development of renewable energy solutions in the Southeast Asia market, where we see tremendous potential, given the region’s rapid economic growth,” Al Jaber said.

Indonesia is currently the largest energy user in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region, and the country is targeting 23 per cent of its energy mix coming from renewables by 2025, rising to 31 per cent by 2030.

“The Cirata floating PV project is a monumental renewable energy project for Indonesia, and the biggest floating PV in South East Asia,” said Zaini.

“It will improve the capability of the Jawa-Bali power system and also increase the renewable energy mix in Indonesia. The potential of similar projects is endless and we anticipate construction should begin soon, aiming for commercial operation in 2022,” he added, providing a timeline of when the project is expected to be completed.