Powering Indonesia’s economy, one step at a time
GE Reports ASEAN brings to you a multi-part series that highlights the key discussions of the conference, including new breakthrough technologies that will make power generation and distribution more efficient and accessible and more importantly, potential solutions that will enable Indonesia to advance its power sector.
This part of the series looks at President Joko Widodo’s very first power plant project under the ambitious 35,000MW energy plan, and GE’s collaboration with local partners to deliver fast power, efficiently generated, to communities in Gorontalo and Lombok.
For Indonesian President Joko Widodo, the bold plan of introducing 35,000 MW power projects are more than a mere matter of official duty, but a target that must be achieved. The plan, which is estimated to cost US$88 billion, will see the installation of power plants in more than 210 locations across the country.
Faced with rapid increase in economic and population growth, the Widodo administration estimates that Indonesia will require an additional capacity of more than 70,000 MW to service and sustain the economic and social trajectory.
However, for most, the 35,000 MW plan was at best, ambitious and lofty and at worst, far-fetched and unlikely. This was contrasted against the five-year 10,000 MW power plant development project launched by then President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2010. Despite with all the right intentions in mind, the plan struggled to deliver as projected, realising only 7,000MW.
Every decision and move made by Jakarta, the capital of the world’s largest archipelago island, will be heavily scrutinised and analysed by energy analysts, international pundits and all Indonesians.
Gorontalo, where it all begins
Approximately 3,000 km northeast of Jakarta lies a tranquil landscape of hot springs and pristine coral reefs, lined with lush forests and natural vistas. The Gorontalo province, which is home to more than 500 marine biodiversities on the planet, is where President Widodo’s ambitious 35,000 MW plan takes shape.
With the current power grid in the province faltering under growing demand and most of the power supply being obtained in neighbouring provinces, the Indonesian Government collaborated with GE in late October 2015 to implement four gas-fired power plants in the island, aiming to provide electricity to more than 800,000 Indonesians homes in the area.
Power plant on wheels
At the heart of this is GE’s TM2500 mobile gas turbine generator set, a ground-based version of GE’s popular CF6 jet engine – the same engine used to power US President Barack Obama’s Air Force One.
The generators, which are mounted on a mobile, two-trailer assembly, are capable of generating more than 25 MW of power output each in the hot and humid Indonesian climate and more importantly, in an efficient and mobile manner.
With more than a decade of experience installed in the TM2500, it takes a mere 11 days from arriving on a truck to being operational, and can achieve full power in as little as 10 minutes.
The benefits of this ‘power plant on wheels’ are immense – it allows areas in Gorontalo with inadequate energy infrastructures to generate backup power during natural disaster relief, plant shutdowns and more importantly, stabilise the province’s power grid. This is in line with the Indonesian Government’s commitment to increase the country’s electrification rate to 97% by 2019.
Delivering fast power to the people in Lombok
Most recently, GE supported PLN and PLN Batam to successfully introduce two TM2500 gas turbines in Lombok, a province in the midst of transforming itself to a tourism hotspot.
Already 3.2 million citizens in the province and still going, the timing was aligned with PLN and PLN Batam’s promise to President Widodo to deliver the plants before the start of MTQ (National Al Qur’an Recital Competition).
The power plants, which took a journey of six days to reach from Jurong, Singapore to Lombok, only required five months to be built on-ground.
With an electrification rate of only 71.79%, the additional 50MW to the province will deliver a much-needed stability to Lombok’s power grid, sharpening its competitive edge in the region and benefiting industries such as tourism and agriculture.
Continuing investment in Indonesia
The very foundation of a successful economy relies heavily on electricity. It is one of the most important basic infrastructures to improve livelihoods and productivity, allowing a nation to be competitive and drive the economy to greater heights.
Since its inception in 1940, more than $1 billion has been invested as part of the GE’s commitment to support infrastructure development. To-date, GE technology is responsible for approximately more than 20 percent of Indonesia’s electricity generation, and more than 8 GW of electricity is generated from GE’s gas turbines.