Indonesia inaugurates world’s third-largest floating solar power plant

Indonesian President Joko Widodo inaugurated Southeast Asia’s largest floating solar power plant, a 192 megawatt peak project on a West Java reservoir. PLN Nusantara Power and Masdar developed the $108.7 million initiative to enhance renewable energy and decrease coal reliance. Located on Cirata reservoir, it stands as the world’s third-largest floating solar plant.

“With the completion of this project, it should be able to provide green electricity for 50,000 households in Indonesia, contributing greatly to Indonesia’s green development,” Vice President Director of PowerChina International Group Ltd. Zhou Jiayi said. “Through this project, we have provided a total of 8,000 jobs for local people, and we have also provided them with skill training.”

The 192 MWp capacity plant, featuring over 340,000 solar panels, generates 300 million kilowatt-hours annually, complementing the reservoir’s hydropower.

“I have also spoken with (UAE) Minister Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi that this will be increased to approximately 500 MegaWatt, and we hope that more and more new renewable energy resources will be built in our country Indonesia, be it solar power, hydro power, geothermal, and wind power,” Widodo said. “If we continue like this, it will be very good.”

Widodo also encouraged using renewable energy potential to support the country’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions and pursue the target of net-zero emissions by 2060.

Despite renewable energy constituting 12.3% of Indonesia’s energy mix in 2022, President Jokowi acknowledged that achieving the 23% target by 2025 might be challenging.

“Cirata floating PV is a very important project for us as PLN, or national state electricity company, but also for Indonesia as a whole,” Dimas Kaharudin, operation director of Cirata floating solar PV project, said. “This project will become a mark of the beginning of our transition because this is the first floating large-scale solar PV (project) and also the most price competitive compared with fossil fuel.”