Garut Regency and National Energy Council Agree to Push for Geothermal Optimisation
The Government of Garut Regency, West Java, together with the National Energy Council (DEN), has agreed to continue urging the central government and developers to optimise the geothermal potential in Garut so that it provides benefits for the region and meets national electricity needs.
“Our effort to optimise the utilisation of electricity resources from geothermal energy,” said Garut Regent Abdusy Syakur Amin after a meeting and DEN working visit to Garut Regency on Thursday.
The meeting, held at Pendopo Garut, was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), the Directorate General of New, Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation (EBTKE), and the Garut Regency administration, as well as developers Star Energy Geothermal (SEG) and Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE).
The Regent said that the Garut region has a geothermal area that has been utilised to help meet national electricity needs and still has potential for further development. He noted that developing geothermal energy can strengthen the electricity supply while supporting the use of clean and environmentally friendly renewable energy.
“We see this as one of Garut Regency’s unique features and advantages to contribute to Indonesia’s electricity supply, especially renewable energy,” he said.
DEN member Mohammad Fadhil Hasan stated that the visit was part of efforts to accelerate and optimise the geothermal resources in Garut, which are already proven to contribute to electricity supply. He noted that the installed geothermal power plant capacity in Garut is 270 MW, while the electricity needed for consumption by the people of Garut is 126 MW, meaning local needs are already fully met.
He said the geothermal potential in Garut can still be further developed to provide greater benefits for the community, not only in Garut but also nationally. The development will be carried out in stages; in the short term, SEG is working on optimisation through additional production capacity, while in the medium term, PT PGE is exploring expansion and a gradual increase in capacity.
“We also ask for support from all parties to accelerate this process,” he added.
He expressed hope that geothermal development will not only meet energy needs but also provide broader benefits for regional development, such as increasing locally-generated revenue (PAD), creating jobs, and supplying energy to support the modernisation of the agricultural sector for the people of Garut. “The benefits obtained from utilising renewable energy for electricity will create a multiplier effect from geothermal development,” he stressed.