15 geothermal permits issued by Indonesian government

JAKARTA – The Indonesian government have issued 15 permits for domestic and international firms to manage geothermal resources in the country in a bid to develop power plants with a combined capacity of 35 thousand megawatts.

“After the licenses have been issued, the energy and mineral resources minister must check that they are making use of the licenses. Dont let it (the project) come to a standstill after the licenses have been issued,” President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said on the sidelines of the 4th Indonesia IBTKE-Conex and the 3rd Indonesia International Geothermal Convention and Exhibition 2015 here on Wednesday.

The president said geothermal resources had the potential to generate 29 thousand megawatts of electricity. If all the investors realized their licenses, they could produce 1,515 megawatts.

He said the government would also provide improved services to investors who had invested in new and renewable energy.

While fossil-based energy deposits including oil and gas continue to deplete, Indonesia, which is endowed with abundant geothermal resources, must boost the use of new and renewable energy, he said.

“We are focusing on developing new and renewable energy now that the consumption of fossil-based energy, including oil and gas, in Indonesia has seen an annual increase of 7 %. Hopefully, new and renewable energy will act as a buffer for fossil-based energy, whose deposits continue to deplete,” he said.

He further called on all elements of the community to benefit from other energy sources, including crude palm oil, as Indonesia is the largest palm oil producer in the world.