Indonesia is set to increase its geothermal electricity production, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said Monday.聽
The EIA said聽the country was the third in the world for聽geothermal electricity production and geothermal generating capacity in 2014, behind the U.S. and the Philippines.聽
"While Indonesia聽is located聽at the convergence of several tectonic plates in Southeast Asia, this gives the country a significant geothermal potential, although most of its potential reserves remain unexplored," the U.S. administration said.聽
Indonesia's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources estimates that his country holds a potential 29 gigawatts (GW) of geothermal capacity reserves, but only 5 percent聽of it is being used at the moment, while its聽current geothermal capacity is around聽1.3 GW, according to the EIA.聽
Despite its high potential, geothermal currently makes up less than 3 percent聽of Indonesia's total electricity generation capacity. While nearly 84 percent of the country's聽population had access to electricity in 2014, compared to less than 68 percent聽in 2010,聽electricity capacity additions fell short with聽electricity demand growth, leading to power shortages in the country, the EIA noted.聽Inadequate infrastructure,聽insufficient investment and regulatory obstacles are other issues the country deals with.
However, Indonesia聽plans to reach聽complete electrification of the country by 2020, and聽increase its geothermal capacity significantly by 2025.聽
The country aims to develop聽more than 27 GW of total power capacity in the next several years, while聽5 GW of new geothermal capacity聽will come online by 2022, by introducing several geothermal power plants. The country聽signed聽an agreement with New Zealand in 2012 to jointly develop聽geothermal energy projects.
Currently, fossil fuels provide 88 percent of聽electricity generation in Indonesia, while renewables -- mostly聽hydropower and geothermal --聽account for the remainder. The country plans to increase its renewable energy use in its energy mix聽to at least 23 percent聽by 2025. But that聽depends聽on further developing the country's geothermal and hydropower resources, the EIA said.聽
"Successful completion of these geothermal projects could result in Indonesia becoming the world leader in both geothermal electric capacity and generation," the U.S. administration concluded.聽
By Ovunc Kutlu
Anadolu Agency
ovunc.kutlu@aa.com.tr