Saudi Arabia Begins Investing in Renewable Energy Business in Indonesia

Floating solar power plant illustration. (Photo: ebtke.esdm.go.id)

Jakarta, MINA – Saudi Arabia has started investing in renewable energy in Indonesia. The floating solar power plant in Saguling, West Bandung Regency, West Java, is the first project by the Saudi company ACWA Power in the new and renewable energy (EBT) sector.

The project is managed by PT Indo ACWA Bahan Saguling in partnership with PT PLN.

This was marked by the signing of a power purchase agreement (PPA) for the Saguling Floating Solar Power Plant project at PLN’s headquarters in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Saudi Ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia Faisal bin Abdullah Al-Amud, in his speech at the event, said that the collaboration on the Saguling Floating Solar Power Plant project is an effort to enhance cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. According to him, both countries have extraordinary potential in the field of investment in renewable energy.

He also expressed hope that the cooperation between the two countries would continue. “I invite investors, both in Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, to participate in investments in both countries in the coming years. “Opportunities like this should not be missed (but should be utilized for investment development),” said Faisal.

Meanwhile, PT PLN (Persero) Director Darmawan Prasodjo mentioned that collaboration with Saudi Arabia through ACWA is PLN’s step to respond to increasingly critical global warming.

To follow up on this cooperation, President Director of PT Indo Acwa Bahan Saguling, Rudolf Rinaldo Aritonang, signed the PPA with PLN.

“This is the first Saudi investment in the renewable energy sector,” he revealed.

The Saguling Floating Solar Power Plant will use 1.69 percent of the total surface area of ​​Saguling Reservoir. The plant will have a capacity of up to 92 MWp. The generated electricity will be transmitted via a 150 kV interconnection to the electricity systems of Java, Madura, and Bali.

It is noted that ACWA Power currently has a portfolio of 43 GW in power generation, with nearly 15.5 GW (36% of the total portfolio) being renewable energy plants.

Previously, PLN, through its subsidiary PLN Nusantara Power, had experience in constructing the Cirata Floating Solar Power Plant in West Java. This floating solar power plant, which is under construction and has a capacity of 145 MWac, is set to become the largest floating solar plant in Southeast Asia. (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)