Fuji Electric, a Japanese manufacturing company, will provide the power-generating equipment for a $500 million geothermal project in West Sumatra, Indonesia.
The Muara Laboh Geothermal Power Project, by Supreme Energy Muara Laboh, will double the plant's current output of 85 megawatts, which is "equivalent to the annual usage of about 420,000 households on the island of Sumatra," per INPEX.
Construction is already underway, with an expected completion date of 2027. Electricity generated will then be sold to PT PLN, a government-owned electric distributor, until 2052.
This isn't Fuji Electric's first time collaborating on a geothermal project like this. According to ThinkGeoEnergy, "Fuji Electric also supplied the power generation equipment for the 85-MW Unit 1 geothermal power plant in Muara Laboh, which went online in late 2019."
Geothermal energy is gathered by extracting energy from the Earth's crust. The process can vary, but it typically involves hot water harvested from deep underground and converted into steam. The steam rises to spin turbines, which then generate electricity. It's a form of renewable energy, like wind and solar, since the planet's inner heat is replenished.
Renewable energy is much better for the planet than nonrenewable energy sources, like oil, coal, and gas. Not only are we expected to run out of these finite materials within the next 100 years, but their usage accounts "for over 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90% of all carbon dioxide emissions," according to the United Nations.
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While geothermal energy generation makes up a small fraction of energy generated globally, it's a fast-growing market that many companies, like Fuji Electric, are eager to explore.
Mei Hondo of Fuji Electric was happy to collaborate with SEML once again.
"I'm very happy that we contributed to the development of Indonesia," she said, per the company.
"We would like to continue to expand our renewable energy business, including geothermal power generation, and continue to contribute to the creation of safe, secure, and sustainable societies," Hondo added.
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