The Research and Technology Ministry is continuously studying the pattern of geothermal energy utilization in the country as part of efforts to make existing renewable energy sources ready for tapping by 2025, Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta said here Friday.
“My ministry is continuously studying the utilization patterns as it is planned that in 2025 it has to be ready for the new renewable energy in large amounts,” he said after a dialogue on development of human resources, science and technology to support the implementation of the master plan to accelerate and expand Indonesia’s economic development (MP3EI) from 2011 to 2025, in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara province.
Gusti said the National Energy Board (DEN) had predicted the availability of petroleum would be depleted by 2020 so the preparation of renewable energy on a large scale should be done early.
The content of oil may still be available off the coast but it is in the deep ocean so must use an advanced technology and takes a highly cost to exploit.
Therefore, the renewable energy derived from various sources such as ocean currents, wind and plants (bio-ethanol) must be reviewed its utilization patterns, the minister explained.
“In fact, in the near future we will be working on geothermal energy because we (Indonesia, Red) has 44 percent of the world’s geothermal potential. Just take it, so that the potential utilization patterns are currently being studied,” Gusti said.
DEN version guided by the blue print of National Energy Management 2004 mentioned that the Indonesian’s energy source in particular fossil fuel namely oil will be exhausted within 18 years, gas in 61 years while coal within 147 years.
Thus, Indonesia will no longer be in a potential fossil energy crisis.
Currently Indonesia’s oil needs as much as 1.5 percent of all the world oil demand to reach 10.5 billion tons of oil.
Meanwhile, Indonesia exported oil to the world as much as 1.5 percent it means that the ability of Indonesia’s production reaches to three percent of the total world oil consumption.
Earlier, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Jero Wacik said that the renewable energy potentials in Indonesia have not been utilized in maximum. One of them is an abundant solar energy.
“Solar energy is now only in use for drying coffee and tourist season. Though it can be utilized optimally,” he said.
According to Jero Wacik, the source of energy derived from oil will be exhausted however based on data obtained by the National Energy Board, renewable energy utilization is currently only five percent of the total energy.
Therefore, the government continues to undertake in 2025 the renewable energy utilization reach to 25 percent in minimum.
The version of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, there are currently about 28 points of geothermal which have been licensed for exploration by the ministry of forestry with a potential of about seven thousand mega watts (MW).
