The History of the Earliest Geothermal Power Plants in Indonesia

Abstract

The installed capacity of geothermal power plants in Indonesia currently has reached of 1332 MW. The development of geothermal power plant started on November 27th 1978 when a back-pressure unit with capacity of 250 kW was inaugurated in Kamojang field. This unit was a pilot project and served the electricity needs of the field. On May 14th 1981, another back-pressure unit with capacity of 2000 kW was inaugurated by the minister of mining and energy of Indonesia at Dieng field. This unit became the second geothermal power plant installed in Indonesia. This unit was operated to serve the electricity needs of local water pump station and field office. In late 1995, the 2000 kW unit was moved to Sibayak field then operated commercially in mid 1996. In mid 2010, the unit was retired after 29 years of service. The unit has an important role in the history of geothermal power plant development in Indonesia.