Built on a 250-hectare plot of the Cirata Reservoir, in the West Java province, the plant will power 50,000 homes and offset 214,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
Cirata is Masdar’s first floating PV project and its first renewable energy project in the Southeast Asian market.
Masdar and PLN recently signed an MOU to develop Phase II of Cirata with up to 500MW additional capacity, following a regulatory development from the Ministry of Public Works and Housing in Indonesia that has increased the portion of water that can be covered, for renewable energy uses, to a maximum of 20%.
Image credit: Masdar
Indonesia’s minister of energy and mineral resources, HE Arifin Tasrif, commented: “The capacity of the Cirata Floating PLTS could be greater, with a maximum total potential reaching around 1.2GW peak, if it utilized 20% of the total area of the Cirata reservoir. With the operation of the Cirata Floating PV, we hope it will increase investor confidence and encourage technological innovation as a solution to limited land in developing solar energy, where Indonesia has enormous floating PV potential.”
Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, chief executive officer of Masdar said: “We are delighted that the development of our first floating solar plant with PLN Group is fully operational and supporting Indonesia’s renewable energy objectives. In October 2023, Masdar and PLN Group agreed to triple the existing capacity of this already record-breaking project, supporting Indonesia’s decarbonization and net-zero ambitions.
The Indonesian market is in line with Masdar’s ambitions in the Southeast Asia region where the renewable energy company has an expanding portfolio of interests. In addition to Cirata, Masdar entered the geothermal energy sector through a strategic investment in Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE) in February 2023. Masdar also opened an office in Jakarta in 2021 to further strengthen links with key players within the region.
Indonesia has plans to increase its renewable energy mix and pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2060 or sooner. The Southeast Asian nation has committed to a 29% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030.
According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), scaling up renewables could save Indonesia, which is reportedly the largest energy user in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region, as much as US$ 51.7 billion per year when the impacts on air pollution and climate change are included.
Floating solar plants are attractive to countries like Indonesia with expanding populations and scarce land resources. They provide higher solar panel efficiency and productivity due to the close proximity of the panels to the water surface that helps cool them. Floating panels also reduce evaporation, saving fresh water for drinking and irrigation purposes.
