PTBA and Pertamina NRE Explore Solar Power Development on Post-Mining Land
PT Bukit Asam (Persero) Tbk (PTBA) and PT Pertamina New & Renewable Energy (Pertamina NRE) have officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding cooperation on the development of Solar Power Plant (PLTS) projects within PTBA’s operational areas. The signing of the MoU represents a synergy between the two companies to accelerate the national energy transition while creating sustainable added value for the nation.
PTBA President Director Bambang Ismawan stated that the synergy between the company and PNRE is a strategic momentum to take a role in developing PLTS projects listed in the 2025-2034 Electricity Supply Business Plan (RUPTL). “This synergy is a strategic milestone for PTBA in accelerating business energy transformation, strengthening the renewable energy portfolio, and increasing future energy revenue contributions,” Bambang explained in a written statement on Thursday.
As an energy company, PTBA views sustainability not only in terms of reducing carbon emissions but also how to optimally utilise all available resources through innovation and technological mastery. Meanwhile, PTBA Director of Downstreaming and Product Diversification Turino Yulianto believes that ‘Sustainability Through Technology’ is one of the main keys to a sustainable energy future. Technology allows PTBA to answer environmental challenges without sacrificing energy security or economic growth. Therefore, the company views that coal does not necessarily have to be abandoned.
“In my opinion, what is more important is how we utilise technology to produce increasingly cleaner, more efficient energy that can significantly reduce carbon emissions. On the other hand, we also continue to develop new and renewable energy as part of Indonesia’s future energy portfolio. This spirit is in line with the transformation being undertaken by PTBA,” Turino explained. In addition to developing coal downstream projects such as Coal to DME, SNG, and Potassium Humate, which provide added value while reducing emission intensity, PTBA is also continuing to expand its new and renewable energy business development, where the company’s total PLTS portfolio has reached 1.2 MWp.
Through projects like this, PTBA hopes to make a real contribution to significantly reducing carbon emissions and encouraging the creation of a competitive green business ecosystem. The company hopes that its Clean Energy portfolio can serve as a springboard to obtain Green Funding for future downstream projects. “Through this cooperation with PT Pertamina New & Renewable Energy, we see a great opportunity to optimise PTBA’s national assets, including the utilisation of post-mining land as a development area for solar power plants (PLTS) as well as various other renewable energy potentials that can provide economic, social, and environmental benefits simultaneously,” he elaborated.
Turino assessed that post-mining land, which has been reclaimed and rehabilitated, has the potential to be transformed into green energy centres. Thus, areas that were previously part of mining activities can have a new life as sources of clean energy supporting the achievement of Indonesia’s Net Zero Emission target. “One of the problems with PLTS is land availability, while on the other hand, we have a lot of reclaimed post-mining land. So it would be good if after reclamation it could become a new energy source. We have thousands of hectares; perhaps initially I heard from our colleagues that we have more than 250 hectares of post-mining land ready for use,” he said. Turino believes that the collaboration between PTBA and PNRE will be a clear example of how state-owned enterprise synergy can contribute to accelerating national energy security through the use of technology, innovation, and optimisation of national assets.