Indonesia Inaugurates $108 million Floating Solar Plant

Indonesian President Joko Widodo inaugurated a floating solar power station with a capacity of 192 megawatts on Wednesday.

The station is located on a reservoir in the West Java province and is part of a campaign to increase renewable energy sources and transition away from coal alternatives.

The project, with a cost of 1.7 trillion Indonesian rupiahs (around $108.7 million), was developed by PT PLN Nusantara Power, a subsidiary of the Indonesian state-owned utility company Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), and UAE-based renewable energy company Masdar, a subsidiary of Mubadala Investment Company.

"I have agreed with the UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, Thani Al Zeyoudi, to expand the station to about 500 megawatts, as we hope to increase renewable energy in Indonesia,” President Widodo told reporters.

The solar infrastructure was constructed on the Serayu Reservoir, around 108 kilometers southeast of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.

The combined capacity of the hydroelectric power station at the dam is around 1,008 megawatts.

Darmanu Darmawansyah, the CEO of PT PLN Nusantara Power, stated that this is the third-largest floating solar power station globally and can be expanded to 1,000 megawatts.

Regulations allow for the use of up to 20% of the reservoir's area for the solar power station, and discussions are ongoing with Mubadala Investment Company regarding the next phase of expansion.