Indonesian Minister seeks to expedite geothermal power projects in Maluku
Coast of Buru Island, Maluku, Indonesia (source: Government of Buru, Indonesia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Carlo Cariaga
11 Apr 2025
Indonesia is intensifying efforts to develop geothermal power in Maluku, with PT PLN instructed to fast-track activities on the Tulehu and Wapsalit sites.
Indonesia’s Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Bahlil Lahadalia, has instructed state-owned electricity company PT PLN to expeditiously build a geothermal power plant in the Maluku region, citing the need for the region to not be completely dependent on diesel and coal.
According to Bahlil, the 40-MW geothermal power development in Maluku has now been included in the draft of PT PLNs’ 2025-2034 Electricity Supply Business Plan (RUPTL). There are two project sites being targeted – the 20-MW Wapsalit geothermal site in Buru Island, and the 2×10 MW Tulehu geothermal site in the Ambon Island.
“So when there are old generating machines, which are diesel, they are immediately replaced with Renewable Energy (EBT), as a form of the Government’s concern to provide EBT as an international consensus,” said Bahlil.
Based on 2024 data, the total power generation capacity in the Maluku region has reached 409 MW. About 249 MW of this comes from diesel power plants, followed by gas-based power plants at 157 MW. The contribution of renewables, via solar and hydroelectric power plants, is minimal at only 3 MW.
“With the inclusion of the geothermal power plant (PLTP) project into the RUPTL of PT PLN, the Government wants to significantly boost the use of New and Renewable Energy in the Maluku region and reduce the dominance of fossil energy which has so far dominated the electricity system in the region,” added Bahlil.
The Wapsalit prospect is currently in the exploration stage and has an expected COD by 2028. Tulehu, on the other hand, is a site that has had a long history of surface surveys and exploration drilling, with results from the wells decidedly not meeting the expectations for the project.
Source: Indonesia Business Report
