Indonesia to Construct Solar Projects on Erstwhile Mine Sites

• Indonesian coal miner PT Bukit Asam intends to develop 3 solar energy projects on former mine sites as part of its development into renewable resource, the firm's chief executive Suryo has been priced quote as saying in media reports.

State-controlled Bukit Asam has scheduled land in West Sumatra, South Sumatra and also East Kalimantan districts, with the business preparing to create solar plants of up to 200 megawatts in each.

Indonesia, the globe's biggest thermal coal exporter, aims to reach zero net discharges by 2060 or earlier, a senior priest said, a goal that is anticipated to entail deserting coal power.

"At the moment, we are discussing with Perusahaan Listrik Negara (state power business) for these solar plants to be independent manufacturers of energy for the business," Suryo claimed in an online instruction for the media.

Although he did not disclose information on the volume of the financial investment, Suryo said he was not concerned concerning obtaining financing for the projects.

"Financing for renewables is extremely open now in the worldwide economic market, so we don't believe there is any kind of trouble," Suryo stated.

Last year, Bukit Asam had greater than 2,000 hectares of former mining land on which it can develop solar plants, he stated.

Previously this month, UAE-based renewable resource business Masdar and its partner PT PJBI introduced that building and construction work with their joint endeavor to construct Indonesia's first-ever floating solar power plant had started. The 145 MW plant is expected to begin commercial procedure in the fourth quarter of 2022.

As for various other solar projects underway in the nation, Singapore-based solar programmer Sunseap Group introduced in July this year that it had actually authorized a Memorandum of Recognizing (MoU) with Badan Pengusahaan Batam (BP Batam) for the structure of a floating solar system (FPV) and also power storage space system (ESS) on a reservoir in Indonesia's Batam Island for an approximated cost of $2 billion.