Indonesia gets helping hands to meet 35GW power generation goal

GE, for instance, organized a workshop.

In response to Indonesia’s ambitious goal of building an additional 35 gigawatts (GW) in new power generation capacity by 2019, General Electric, together with the American Embassy in Jakarta, held a workshop for policymakers, independent power producers, engineering firms, and other stakeholders to explore new power generation technology options that are specifically suited to Indonesia’s unique needs.

According to a release from GE, Titled “The Role of Large, High Efficiency Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) in Enabling the Success of Indonesia’s 35GW Program," the workshop is a collaboration between GE, a global leader and innovator in power generation, and the Commercial Section of the US Embassy.

The workshop featured discussions on GE’s advanced 9HA gas turbine technology, for which the company has secured 17 orders and 61 technical selections* in countries that include the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Brazil, South Korea, France, Russia, Germany, Turkey, Argentina and Egypt.

“With the plans for the development of 35 GW in new power generation capacity by 2019, Indonesia is poised for a major leap forward. The success of this leap depends largely on implementing a workable energy strategy - one that provides long-term balance between the right set of technologies and the benefits that can be accrued to government, businesses, consumers and society in general,” said Handry Satriago, CEO, GE Indonesia.

Here's more from GE:

“In Indonesia, and throughout the Asia region, there is a growing demand for power. High fuel costs are driving demand for highly efficient, reliable, and operationally flexible solutions that provide long-term profitability. At the same time, there is increasing pressure to minimize environmental degradation typically associated with power generation.

That means power must be provided in a manner that is economically competitive, dependable and more efficient. While coal will continue to be a big part of Indonesia’s energy mix, the abundance of natural gas in the country is leading to an increase in the number of gas-fired power plants. The cost of natural gas can be mitigated by the adoption of innovative technologies that enable more cost-effective, efficient power generation assets,” added Handry.

“GE has been powering ahead with advances, such as those engineered into our 9HA gas fired combined cycle turbines. These features are intended to help meet power producers’ needs for competitive economics, scalability, flexibility, and speed of deployment,” said George Djohan, Power Generation Product, Country Leader, GE Power & Water.

With increasing gas prices in Southeast Asia, efficiency is becoming an increasingly important factor in determining the lifecycle value of the power generation plant operation. The HA technology is well suited for deployment as part of Indonesia’s 35 GW electricity blueprint, of which 12.85 GW will be generated by gas-fired power plants.

Over the past 70 years, Indonesia has developed a power production capacity of 50 GW. Indonesia’s new power generation plan seeks to increase that capacity by 70% by 2019, making speed of deployment a pivotal factor for public and private power producers.

GE’s HA technology allows simpler and faster construction as a result of GE’s modular packaging design, which simplifies construction and reduces outage durations. Compared with GE’s F-Class gas turbine, installation time has been reduced 25%, reducing cost and improving consistency and dependability.

“GE was one of the first companies to successfully bring electric power to the masses through industry leading innovation. Today, more than a century later, we continue on this path with the 9HA gas fired turbines transforming the industry through improved efficiency and operational flexibility, as well as reduced environmental impact, all of which are crucial components of Indonesia’s power generation strategy.

Equally, we remain committed to support Indonesia’s target to sustainably meet growing energy demands through our technology breakthroughs and solutions, such as those in our 9HA turbines,” added George.