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Decarbonizing Indonesia with Southeast Asia’s largest floating solar power plant

19 May 2021

The Cirata floating photovoltaic plant in West Java will power 50,000 homes and reduce CO2 emissions by up to 200,000 tons per year.

In its ongoing transition away from fossil fuels, Indonesia is committed to generating 23% of its energy mix from renewable resources by 2025. A big step towards achieving this ambitious target is the planned floating photovoltaic (FPV) energy plant on the Cirata reservoir in West Java – Indonesia’s first, and the biggest of its kind in Southeast Asia.

Indonesia’s state-owned electricity company PLN’s subsidiary Pembangkitan Jawa-Bali Investasi (PJBI) and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company - Masdar (UAE) formed a joint venture, Pembangkitan Jawa Bali Masdar Solar Energi (PMSE), to develop the Cirata floating solar plant. Tractebel’s energy experts from Indonesia, India and Belgium will oversee and manage the engineering, construction and procurement (EPC) contractor to support the implementation and ensure adherance to the quality standards, timeline and cost as per the contract.

The 145 MWac floating PV power plant will be installed on Cirata lake, the existing hydropower plant’s reservoir. It will be connected to PLN’s 150 kV interconnection facilities, to which the energy will be transferred from a new onsite 150/20kV PV substation. Inverters will convert DC solar energy into AC electricity. The Cirata solar installations will be equipped with fixed-tilt PV technology. Once completed, the site will power upwards of 50,000 homes and reduce yearly carbon emissions by up to 200,000 tons. The project began in May 2021 and is expected to last 18 months.


  

The Cirata reservoir, West Java


Tractebel was selected as Project Management Consultant (PMC) to support PMSE during the execution of the Cirata FPV plant following a rigorous evaluation of several well-established engineering consultancy companies. Our teams’ cross-border collaboration, extensive global experience in floating PV implementation and strong local presence in Indonesia convinced PMSE that Tractebel was the partner of choice.

Tractebel has a special connection with this project, as our colleagues from France were present in Cirata 30 years ago to supervise the construction of the original hydropower plant (1000 MW) and reservoir. Today, our client has obtained the rights to implement a major floating PV plant on the same reservoir. We are proud to contribute to such an outstanding project, which will eliminate a colossal 200,000 tons of harmful CO2 emissions a year - a huge step for Indonesia towards meeting its renewable energy targets.

We strongly believe that this first-of-its-kind landmark project could unlock tremendous potential for other floating PV schemes in Indonesia and the region. The project’s success and the references gained will be key assets for Tractebel to promote our proven expertise and gain a competitive advantage in emerging technology for green energy production.

Nicolas Vaudrémont, General Manager, Tractebel in Asia Pacific

 

 

Watch the video to find out more about the Cirata floating solar power plant.

 

 

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