Over the past years we have mentioned on several occasions that the electric vehicle is the automotive industry’s future thanks to three key inter-related circumstances: (1) recent rapid technological developments that allow the electric vehicle battery to be more energy efficient, (2) the world’s eagerness to move away from fossil fuels toward renewable energy, and (3) rising political support for the development of an efficient and conducive regulatory ecosystem for the electric vehicle industry.

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Considering Indonesia is committed to the development of renewable energy in a bid to cut the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, while at the same time reducing its traditional dependence on fossil fuels such as coal and (mainly imported) diesel in terms of the energy supply, biomass is one of the options that can offer a solution.

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Biodiesel, which is a form of diesel fuel that is derived from plants or animals (in the case of Indonesia it mainly uses fatty acid methyl ether, FAME, which is derived from palm oil), has been on the political agenda of Indonesia since the 1990s when the first (in-depth) research was conducted by a number of state agencies.

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Despite several persistent challenges, geothermal energy remains a very interesting (and relatively environmentally friendly) power source for Indonesia. It is estimated that Indonesia is home to 40 percent of total global geothermal energy potential. But as impressive as that sounds, the country only uses a fraction of the potential. So, let’s take a look at recent developments in terms of geothermal power in Indonesia.

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The latest research report of Indonesia Investments focuses on the energy sector of Indonesia. The energy sector is a crucial sector because without energy it is impossible to pursue economic and social development.

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Indonesian President Joko Widodo inaugurated the country's first wind turbine power plant in Sidrap (South Sulawesi) on Monday (02/07). This plant, which has a total capacity of 75 MW, consists of 30 wind turbine generators (which are the electrical machines used to generate the electricity).

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Indonesia has now overtaken the Philippines in terms of geothermal power capacity. At the end of Q1-2018 Indonesia's installed geothermal power capacity reached 1,925 MW, higher than the 1,868 MW capacity of the Philippines. Moreover, by the end of 2018, Indonesia is expected to see its geothermal power capacity rise to 2,058 MW. However, Indonesia is still far away from becoming the world's biggest geothermal power producer. Capacity of the USA currently stands at 3,591 MW, hence leading by a distance.

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The Indonesian government aims to add 250 MW to the nation's installed geothermal power plants' production capacity in 2018. Based on data from Indonesia's Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, Indonesia's geothermal power capacity stood at 1,808.5 MW at the end of 2017, below the government's target of 1,858.5 MW. Although the production figure is rising, Indonesia only taps 10.3 percent of its geothermal potential.

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Good news for supporters of renewable energy. The Sarulla geothermal power plant, located in Tapanuli (North Sumatra), now has two units in the commercial operation stage, hence the power plant's total capacity has increased to 220 Megawatt (MW). The second unit of the plant commenced commercial production earlier this week.

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Indonesia's push for usage of renewable energy sources, particularly geothermal energy, at the expense of usage of fossil fuels (such as oil or coal) has experienced a setback as there has been an impasse between state-owned electricity company Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) and Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE), a subsidiary of state-owned energy company Pertamina regarding the renewal of their power purchase deal for electricity generated by PGE's Lahendong and Kamojang plants. The existing deal expires at the end of the year.

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The Indonesian government plans to tender 25 new geothermal development sites with a total combined capacity of 1,225 megawatt (MW). These 25 projects will require a total of USD $4.6 billion worth of investments and help to achieve the government’s target to raise the portion of geothermal energy in the country’s energy mix to 7.1 percent by 2025. These 25 projects are in addition to the 31 geothermal development projects that are currently being constructed and which should be operational by 2020.

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The new Joko Widodo-led government aims to triple domestic geothermal power production within the next five years in an effort to meet ever-increasing power demand in the world’s fourth-most populous country and to shift to more environment friendly energy sources (rather than the over-reliance on fossil fuels such as oil and coal). Although Indonesia is estimated to contain the world's largest geothermal energy reserves, the country only uses about four percent of its geothermal capacity potential.

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After a long delay, Indonesia will finally start construction of the world's largest geothermal power plant, the USD $1.6 billion Sarulla project, in June 2014. Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Chairul Tanjung said earlier this week that the groundbreaking of the Sarulla project will start very soon as the government had settled the financial framework. The project was already initiated in 1990 but shelved due to various issues, including the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s. The first phase of the project is expected to be completed in 2016.

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In an attempt to attract investments in Indonesia's geothermal power sector, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources plans to offer higher prices for geothermal-based electricity. Based on a recommendation from the World Bank, the new proposed geothermal-produced electricity price will range between 11.5 and 29 cents per KwH and will be effective until 2025. Currently, state-owned Perusahaan Listrik Negara pays between 10 and 18.5 cents per KwH to independent geothermal power producers (feed-in tariff).

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Production of coalbed methane (CBM) in Indonesia will most likely not meet the government's target of 500 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) in 2015. Coalbed methane, an environmental friendly fuel, is a form of natural gas that occurs in coal beds. Although the production of CBM is a complementary aspect of coal mining, it has only started to gain attention in recent years. CBM reserves in Indonesia, estimated at 453 trillion cubic feet (tcf), are among the world's largest CBM reserves (6 percent of total global CBM reserves).

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Asep Sugiharta, an official at the Ministry of Forestry, said that a new bill has been submitted to Indonesia's parliament (DPR) which is expected to open up the potential for geothermal power development in Indonesia. Currently, geothermal exploitation is lawfully defined as a 'mining activity' (Law No. 27 2003) and therefore prohibited to be conducted in protected forest and conservation areas (Law No. 41 1999), even though geothermal mining activities have a relatively small impact on the environment (compared to other mining activities).

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