Did you know… three of the largest geothermal power plants in the world are found in Indonesia?

Indonesia is home to beautiful tropical islands, a rich and vibrant culture, and geothermal power plants! The first exploration geothermal wells were drilled in the 1920s, but the first power production did not start until 1978 at Kamojang. Today, there are over 17 producing fields, including three of the world’s largest.

The biggest is called Gunung Salak, which is located 70 km from Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, on the island of Java with an installed capacity of 377 MW. The field was drilled and put into production by Unocal in 1994 and later acquired by Chevron in 2005. In December of 2016, the field was taken over by Star Energy. Electricity is generated and sold by the state-owned company, PLN.

The second biggest field is Sarulla. It generates 330 MW of electricity and is based in the Tapanuli Utara district of the North Sumatra Province. The project is owned by the Sarulla Operations Limited consortium and electricity is generated by three units of 110 MW each. The first unit was commissioned in March of 2017 and the second in October of the same year. The third unit was commissioned in May of 2018. Geothermal power supplies electricity to approximately 2.1 million homes.

The third largest geothermal project is Darajat which is located 270 km southeast of Jakarata near Garut in the Parirwangi District of West Java. The installed capacity is 271 MW and the resource was initially developed by Amoseas, later acquired by Chevron and since 2016 it has been run by Star Energy. The first power generation commenced in 1994, with the commissioning of a 55 MW unit. A 95 MW unit was commissioned in 2000 and a third unit capable of generating 121 MW was commissioned in 2007.

It is no wonder Indonesia is the second largest producer of geothermal energy in the world, with huge potential for additional growth.

Sources

https://www.power-technology.com/features/feature-top-10-biggest-geothermal-power-plants-in-the-world/
https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/features/top-geothermal-power-producing-countries/
https://www.geothermal-energy.org/pdf/IGAstandard/WGC/2020/01073.pdf