Indonesia to prioritize geothermal energy development

[News_Editor]

Indonesia to prioritize geothermal energy development

2011-05-06 05:09:00 GMT+7 (ICT)

KUTA, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- The government of Indonesia on Thursday said it is prioritizing the use and development of geothermal energy due to its 'huge potential,' according to Indonesia's Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT).

BPPT Deputy Chief for Information Technology, Energy and Materials Unggul Priyanto told Antara news agency that Indonesia's geothermal potentials in the country is forecast to reach 26,000 megawatts.

In addition, Priyanto underlined that despite Indonesia having the world's largest geothermal deposits, the country had only utilized a small portion of its 1,200 megawatts of geothermal potentials, as many European countries want to utilize it.

According to BPPT, out of other types of new energy, geothermal energy is economically and technology the cheapest.

"The investment and production cost of geothermal power plant are also lower than those of power plants using marine potentials," Priyanto said, adding that the construction of a geothermal power plant with a capacity of 1 kilo watt would only cost $2,000.

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